Bad Batch season 3 spoilers under the cut

Can I just say I love how S3 is already giving us so much more characterization from Phee?

A lot of what we got in S2 was told to us, rather than shown to us. When we meet her and through the episode where she goes on a treasure hunt with the Batch, she comes off as a careless, reckless pirate. Not a bad person or personality, but a braggert who doesn't have other people as a main concern. Kinda like Hondo Onaka but a little less dramatic.

So for me, her shift in the Pabu episode was a bit jarring. Not too mention the boys trusting her enough to let her take them to unknown coordinates. Sure they all worked together to stop that ancient weapon, but that entire episode showed Hunter as skeptical of her and that never really flipped in the episode. And the boys don't trust easily to begin with so that was a big leap for me to accept without being shown. Same with her relationship with Tech. Whether you think they're an item or they were just close platonically, they clearly were the closest to one another but we never saw that happening, just the effects after it happened off screen. And I get it's a kids show and we're not gonna see everything like that. But I didn't have enough to make the pay offs satisfying.

But S3 is really helping fill that out. Point of No Return showed Phee as determined and bossy but still considerate in her own way. It also showed her as really competent. She knew something was off when the clone assassin was sneaking around and she was ready to fight. She would have caught him, too, if the fuel droid didn't interrupt her.

That now makes her someone I personally can see vibing better with the Batch and particularly Tech. I know more about her so I can fill in what S2 didn't show me.

And this latest episode, where she meets Crosshair and knows exactly who he is because of Tech? She hung out with all the batch. I'm sure they've mentioned Cross to her, especially Omega. But she learned about his personality from Tech. That helps me fill in so many gaps about Phee and Tech's conversations that makes their goodbye in S2 feel more understandable and natural.

I guess I'm saying a lot of stuff in S2 regarding Phee felt like it came out of nowhere. While I liked her well enough and liked how she shook up the boys, I never really felt like I knew her or had a solid grasp of how she would interact with anyone. Now though I've been given so much more and I can really appreciate her as a more developed character and important force pushing the narrative foward.

I've been seeing a lot of mixed emotions and frustration surrounding what we heard today from Samba on Wee John Wondays, regarding the immense amount of deleted scenes, cut material, original episode concepts etc, from season 2. And I just wanted to give my two cents here.

Look, it is absolutely valid to be pissed at HBO Max right now. They slashed OFMD's budget, cut their runtime on a per episode and a season basis. This resulted in plotlines having to be reworked, character & relationship development compressed, and some minutiae & connective scenes omitted. The thought of that sucks! It would have been nice to see the polycule shown more directly onscreen, and to see Ed & Stede dance, have a longer goodbye to Izzy, and maybe work through Ed and Stede's relationship rollercoaster a little more gradually. I'm sure this hurt no one more than David himself, who's had a clear vision of all three seasons from the start - who's now had to deal with not only a truncated s2 but a cancellation soon after to boot.

But I think it does a great disservice to the entire cast and crew who worked immensely hard on season 2 to dwell overlong on what we could or 'should' have gotten. They worked their asses off to bring us something phenomenal! Season 2 was incredible - and your mileage may vary, but all analytics indicate season 2 was even more popular and well-received than season 1 by audiences and critics alike. There was a whole team of writers who worked deftly and skillfully to crunch ten episodes into eight without compromising the core elements, themes, and plotlines they wanted to include to tell this story, plus a talented cast who brought their own improvisation to set every day and gave us some of the season's most iconic moments. Everyone on the OFMD crew is proud of what they made, as they rightly should be. It was beautiful television.

Expressing dissatisfaction with what was cut is fine to an extent, but let's not let it take away from our enjoyment and appreciation of the final product we did get, or give the crew the impression that what they worked so hard to give us wasn't good enough. They want more than anyone to have had those extra scenes in there to show off the hard work of the whole team! I'm seeing this a lot especially with the talk about the early draft of Calypso's birthday (and this info is not new, Samba spoke at length about it during his baking class back in November). Regardless of your opinion on whether you think that would have been a 'better' version of the episode, it was just that - an early draft, that never came close to being filmed. David and the writers revised this concept because, apart from time constraints on the season, ultimately they felt that the concept they ended up going with best served the narrative. Even Samba agreed that he preferred the final version. There's no secret footage of this other version, we didn't 'lose' anything - this is one of the dangers of scripts getting released for any piece of media, because the mind runs astray dreaming of the possibilities of what may have been, when the reality is all shows go through moderate to sometimes heavy editing before the final version, and the audience probably doesn't need to see that process!

The fact that season 2 turned out so beautifully, with some of the most moving and iconic sequences television's seen in quite a while, and a love story that has touched so many, is truly a testament to the passion, dedication, and skill of the entire cast and crew. They have achieved the status of cultural phenomenon, season 2 was the 5th most watched series in the entire world on streaming services, outperforming shows like Loki. They've got several dozen articles with glowing praise from major media outlets, a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, multiple award nominations, and more than anything a loyal fanbase who's in it for the long haul to fight for a season 3. They have succeeded to this level despite all the stumbling blocks HBO Max has thrown in their path. If season 2 was OFMD held back from its full potential, then I think they should be damn fucking proud of what they've made.

Samba pitched an official bts documentary for both season 1 and season 2 and was turned down. This show deserved better than HBO Max was ever going to give them. He's going to try and post deleted scenes and a blooper reel if he can (not all heroes wear capes, folks). And it's very likely none of these things will ever be officially released (though, we can make a stink about it!). Be angry about it, absolutely. But we need to channel that energy into the fight for renewal. Double down on efforts to get the attention of Netflix, Prime, Apple TV, and FX, get more signatures on the petition (87k as of this writing!), and just keep talking positively about the show on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook with our hashtags. We need to show the crew that we're upset for them, but so grateful for the beautiful season we got too.

So let's not bicker and wallow about what was 'stolen' from us - the final canon product is ultimately the final canon product, and any other tidbits are fun but neither owed nor necessary. They trusted that we could put the pieces together, that we'd be able to read between the lines when scenes that would have made things more explicit, or developed them further, had to be shortened or cut. And that trust was well placed! We sussed it out. Celebrate the ofmd fandom for all the excellent meta, art, fic, we've gotten, and celebrate season 2 for its joy, its profoundness, its nuance, its enduring hope and how much it's given to so many. Air your grievances respectfully, and then get back to fighting to give OFMD the well-funded third season it deserves!

They say it doesn’t make sense logically that byler happens; I say the only logical outcome is byler happening because of how they built up this narrative. 

Anyway, I found four main arguments that people used a lot to deny byler, so I will debunk them in this post.

1. It doesn't make sense for their character's arcs because Mike's arc revolved around his relationship with El.

Mike's development and involvement with the plot have always been rooted in his relationship with his two closest bonds: Will and El. And the first two seasons, Mike's main focus was Will, not El. In the first season, he was doing everything to find him, and even when logic said he was dead, he never gave up and had faith that Will was alive. In the second season, Mike never left his side since he learnt Will was in danger again. 

I could explain acutely how their character's arc has been built up, but I will summarize it with this: 

El's arc has never revolved around Mike. In fact, it's kind of the opposite. Her arc is about a self-discovery journey. Her development occurs when she isn’t with Mike. In season 2, she learnt about her past when she was away from Hawkins, and Kali trained her more. In season 3, she discovered more of what she liked. Max taught her that there's more in life than stupid boys. In season 4, she went away to get her powers back and learnt more about her past. And also, had to accept that she wasn't a monster or a superhero. Her arc has never been about Mike, and a family is what she wanted and needed since the start. 

As I said, Mike's arc has always been related to them. But let's talk about his inner conflict: his insecurities and low self-esteem. He has been bullied all his life, and he felt alienated. In s3, he tried to change himself to fit in and be one of the mature boys. He pretended not to like d&d anymore and ditched his friends for a girl. And in s4, he admitted to Will that he felt like a random nerd next to El. So why would his arc end with him staying in a relationship where he tried to conform? 

Will's arc is about stopping hiding. Especially in s4, his arc was about getting the courage, to tell the truth about his feelings for Mike, but he didn't complete it. He sacrificed his own happiness for Mike's because he thought his love was unrequited. He also has been dealing with a lot of trauma and how the Upside Down took away his childhood. They have taken a lot away from him. Why would they end his arc with him not getting the one thing he craves: being with Mike?

2. They have been developing Mike and El's relationship since the beginning, and they won't drop that development for byler. 

The more development they had was in the first season when they started as strangers and learnt more about each other and bonded. In the next seasons, they were away from each other. In s2, even when they kissed in the end, and we saw that they missed each other, there was no development in the sense that they didn't share a lot of scenes together, but Mike and Will were the ones who shared a lot of moments. In s3 and s4, they showed us how they didn't work together. Even when in s3, one of Mike's main worries seemed to be getting back with El, the rain fight was the most important scene for his character development. Remember,  I said he was trying to fit in and left his interests behind. With this fight, he learnt his lesson. 

And finally, in s4, we learnt that El had been lying to Mike for months. In one of her lowest moments, Mike acted cold toward her and didn't comfort her. The next day, he tried to apologize, but El told him that he didn't understand her, and they fought because Mike couldn't say I love you or even write it. They got separated again, and El focused on herself while Mike was dealing with his inner struggles with Will's help. At the end of s4, they explicitly told us that El and Mike were barely talking, and we didn't have another conversation (on-screen) between them. But we saw how Will and Mike became closer again even when his big fight at the beginning. They ended the season with a scene where Will confided in Mike, and Mike reassured him. And, of course, they ended next to each other in the last shot.

My point is they have been developing byler and building up Mike and El’s inevitable break up. 

3. They have been building up Will's sexuality and feelings for Mike since the beginning, but they didn't do the same with Mike. 

Since the beginning, they had shown us that Will was gay, but Mike was also queercoded, but people didn't notice it because he showed interest in one girl. Some examples:

Karen told him: "All this that's been going on with Will, I can imagine what it's been like for you. I want you to feel like you can talk to me. I never want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me. I'm here for you, okay?" Mind you, he was hiding a girl in his closet. And his words are similar to what Jonathan told Will in s4. 

In s3, when El kissed him, he didn't kiss her back and reacted confused. He was in front of an open closet. 

In s4, the melody played during Will and Mike's fight is called In the closet (at Rink’O Mania). And it started playing when Mike was in the shot. 

Even if they hinted at Will's sexuality, his feelings for Mike weren't that obvious. Mike's feelings for Will were the focus in the first two seasons. Mike was the one who was determined to find him and did everything for him. And in s2, he decided to stay with him and give him an emotional monologue to get him back. 

Even in s3, they still showed us how deeply Mike cares about him. He ran in the pouring rain to apologize. He noticed when Will felt the mindflayer again in the cinema and asked him if he was okay. He was hurt when Will moved away, and his gaze lingered on his house, then he went to hug his mom like the first time he thought he had lost Will (back in s1). Yes, he was also going to miss El, but they focused on Mike's feelings for Will during the sequence of Hopper's letter. 

Yes, in s4, they showed us Will's feelings for Mike. He was yearning for him all season, and he gave him a veiled love confession. But Mike was also acting weird when they reunited at the airport, at the same time, he couldn't say I love you to his girlfriend. Mike was the one who kept repeating that they would face whatever happened together, and he also told him that Hawkins wasn't the same without him because he wasn't like their other friends and felt like he had lost him. (pretty romantic) 

They have been showing us Mike's feelings for Will throughout the series.

4. They wouldn't break up Mike and El's relationship after Mike confessed his love in his monologue.  

Congratulations, you have fallen with the red herring. 

I'm not going to argue if Mike was being genuine or not. To me, what he said can be contradicted by what they have shown us in the series. But that's not the main issue with it. 

The monologue was prompted by a lie. Mike finally uttered those words thanks to Will, telling him: "You're the heart." That line was a direct call back to his speech in the van when he disguised his feelings as El's. Without the lie, the monologue wouldn't have happened. And once the truth comes out, it will be over. Nothing built on a lie is going to last. 

And even if El found the strength to fight back, they lost terribly. Hawkins went to hell, and Max died. El could bring her back to life thanks to her memories with her, more than Mike's speech. 

Mike and El didn't talk about the monologue or about their insecurities. They weren't closer at the end, like Mike and Will were. So the monologue didn't fix anything. 

OBX 3 TIER LIST

i wanted to make a review but um... it took me like a week to finish the whole thing.. which should say enough.. and honestly i don't really feel like rewatching the majority of the episodes lol. i'll just give my reasons for the tiers instead.

this is probably my most unpopular one yet.

the only emotional journeys i connected with this season was topper, rafe and pope.

cleo could've been there if they actually focused more on her as a person rather than being thrown into a relationship and having that be the focus of her arc, same with kiara. still, i find cleo / pope duo way more watchable than jj / kiara. and she is a nice character.

i actually wished we'd seen kiara be kidnapped half of the season at singh's so that, a) the reunion actually feels more earned b) her and rafe's scenes were gold and probably the most interesting things for her character this season c) we could learn more about the "new, evil villain" and his motives. instead he felt out of place.

as for singh, he could cut it with the "you knows" ....

topper and kiara delivered on the comedy this season though, which is one reason they placed higher.

CAN'T FORGET BARRY

jj's whole "i don't want to be loved" thing felt half assed and he didn't crack me up the way he did s1-2... the humor felt kind of cartoonish (crabs 🫥). i still don't like how they dumb him down to an actual caricature, it was endearing and believable in s1 but it's just gotten worse each season for cheap slapstick. it's not funny.

i wanted more conflict between him and pope and their friendship

i didn't need jj / kiara to be honest... had no relevance to what was going on, and felt very dry. like they were trying to churn out something that just isn't there, and i didn't recognise the characters either.

rafe just elevates any scene he's in and any character he's with. i give props to drew 'cause even though the writing feels more serious for his character than the others, it probably wouldn't come across as good as it does without a good enough actor. luckily enough he's been spared from most of the corniness on this show.

the john b/sarah/topper thing is repetitive but i'm glad we got to see a story where topper isn't villainised (in the show, just by the pogues). he saved sarah's life, yet gets used and discarded. she keeps making the same mistakes, and the john b/big john stuff was just atrocious. he suddenly trusts the dad who abandoned him for years over his ride or die friends? the gf who sacrificed everything for him?? yeah ok dude.

the complete absence of rose but wheezie especially is unrealistic as hell. i don't understand why new, annoying characters are introduced (limbray.... singh... jb's dad) when they don't amount to anything in the end and there is no investment in them. we could've seen so many good family relationships and dynamics, how does the completely overlooked youngest sibling view everything? actually an episode from her POV would've been hilarious and also insanely interesting.

as much as i prefer ward over jb's dad and liked him as a villain... he didn't play a big enough part in this season to keep (he is also irredeemable). i think they could've killed him off in s2. and rafe could've dealt with the aftermath of that this season instead of s4.

the treasure thing felt contrived and way too much for one season. i don't really get the pacing, they don't need to find something new each season they can take a break once in a while and have like every other season be more obx / character focused. and the rest plot. that way when they do find something it feels much greater! what they did over the course of these three seasons could've easily been stretched to six seasons with better writing and giving the story room to breathe, develop a lot of other things etc... instead of making up "blackbeard" 💀

there's much more to say, and a lot of issues with the production and more nitpicky faults, but these are probably my biggest issues with the story. in the end it was a very disjointed season, probably my least favorite so far.

i would like a more detailed breakdown of your mike robin friendship analysis 🤲 💗

hi ella i have been putting this ask off because i have so many thoughts on them and i was trying to gather them into something somewhat coherent and then i realized that will never happen so! here are my thoughts on mike and robin friendship that literally no one except ella asked for but i will be providing anyway:

(i want to preface this by saying that by no means do i think this is a prediction! s5 is super plot heavy and i doubt there will be too much time to develop new relationships from scratch but in my dream world this is mike and robin’s dynamic and why i think they should be best friends forever.)

1. mike, by nature, is a little standoffish and a bit hostile to new people (max, even el, despite the monologue cough cough). that’s just how he is! even though he’s very silly and cringefail etc etc he’s still super protective of his friends and guarded and that’s definitely heightened as shit gets more intense in later seasons. it takes a while for his real personality to come out around new people! this is where i point out that robin has exactly the sort of personality that mike would find initially very abrasive bc she is loud and she rambles and she makes bad jokes and she says shit like “dingus” aka is exactly the sort of person dustin considers “cool” (see again: max) 100% certain that mike would not be robin’s biggest fan at first but it’s more of a startled and apprehensive response than genuine distaste

2. fundamentally, i think robin and mike are very similar people! which is kind of complicated because i feel like robin is in this weird place where she’s enough of a main character to have a clear-cut personality and it’s easy to say what would be ooc for her, but she also isn’t enough of a main character like will or el or max to know too much about her inner monologue etc etc. BUT! pushing aside their obvious identity issues for a hot second— mike and robin are both insanely loyal, analytical (s2 mike and s3 robin please come home), funny and nerdy and talkative, and they have a hard time opening up about their real feelings except for that one special person (steve and will). it’s clear that what both of them really want, under all the humor and the front, is to be loved and accepted, and they both find this in that one special person.

3. look. i love love love the robin/will mentorship hc it is so near and dear to me and i need this to happen in s5 because i need will to talk to another gay person like i need air, BUT. this is where i point out that will has grown up with his own form of a support system and mike has never in his life known that. yes his life has not been easy even without all the upside down shit and im not disregarding that !! but when you’re looking at will’s relationships with the people around him, he’s super close to his mom and his brother and he’s always been able to talk to them and go to them for anything. jonathan accepted him with open arms and we all know that joyce “i don’t know what that THING is but it’s not my son” byers is not going to bat an eye at will’s sexuality after everything. mike, on the other hand, needs a mentor figure because he’s never known this kind of support. the inclusion that he felt with the party isn’t as strong anymore, and his friend group is dissipating and he’s not close with any of the older teens, not even his sister, and and and and—

4. ok. expanding on the nancy thing because i got off track a bit! i love the wheeler siblings. i really do. i would give anything to see them be the apocalyptic sibling duo of the century in s5 but if i’m being really honest, nancy and mike are just. not close. even after everything they’ve been through together, we never see them have storylines together and other than that one line about nancy’s vecna vision showing her mike, they just. never really feel like they’re close to me. mike has never gotten the kind of support and closeness from nancy that will gets from jonathan, or lucas gets from erica, or dustin gets from steve (since he’s an only child) and while both of them have their own shit going on, i just don’t think mike sees nancy as someone he can go to. she got in early decision to college, she runs the school newspaper, she’s always been ambitious and driven and decisive on her future which are exactly the things mike is struggling with— fitting in, finding his place, etc etc. nancy had that whole thing in s1 and 2 with murray about who people expect her to be (dating steve) vs who she wants to be (dating jonathan) and then she got past that hurdle and mike is. well. he’s not quite there yet. but the bottom line is that for mike and what he’s dealing with rn, i think robin is a lot more relatable and approachable than nancy is, because she’s also navigating complex identity (and sexuality) issues, she doesn’t have all her shit sorted out (at least from mike’s pov bc nancy is only 18 and doesn’t know everything etc etc) but. i just think that out of the older teens, if mike needed to talk to someone, then robin would be able to relate to him more and be infinitely more approachable. also maybe this is just me projecting but i think that mike would rly gravitate towards robin’s style and stuff, especially from her pseudo-alt era from s3 with the rings and the eyeliner and the bracelets and stuff!! i loved her look in s4 too but idk something abt s3 robin is so <3 to me. yeah. definitely projecting.

5. maybe this is a bit of an unpopular opinion but the robin is a lesbian yoda trope is not my most favorite. like, i really don’t think that just because she’s older and she’s the only one to actually come out on screen and have a queer storyline that she knows anything and everything there is to know about queer dynamics! she’s a 17/18 year old lesbian in the 80s in the middle of indiana and just thinking about her talk with steve in the car makes me so sad because she’s aware that asking out the wrong girl could be catastrophic for her :( i think she’s also uncertain about a lot of things pertaining to her sexuality and i think there’s a difference between robin as a mentor figure being like, “hey, it’s totally okay to be gay and not have everything figured out, but know you’re not a mistake and you’re not alone because i’m like you” vs “here are 100 terms for queer people and the names of every sexuality under the sun because i know Everything,” and genuinely and honestly, i think mike just needs someone to tell him that first thing: that he’s only fourteen (almost 15 at the end of s4) and he literally does not need to know everything about himself or his feelings or who he is but just that he isn’t alone and it’s important that he doesn’t try to suppress that part of himself for the sake of appearances. idk my thoughts on this are very personal and i could make a whole other post (or write another 37k words on this) but! i just think that if robin got to know mike a little more she would see a lot of herself in him

um. that’s all off the top of my head but this already became one million times longer than i was expecting and i’m certain i have more thoughts on these two so i might make a second post later! thanks for enabling me i hope this is somewhat coherent (?) Maybe.

about Romantic Killer (BIG SPOILERS)

ok i just finished watching Romantic Killer and it's so good wtf????????? the plot developed so much better than i was expecting at first?????? Anzu is such a good character and such a good friend????? so i need to ramble about it bare with me for a moment

the show is hilarious and i love how exaggerated the funny expressions are, but it also has some rly serious part damn im legit impressed (Anzu and Kazuki's first hug kinda got me tearing up ngl)

each of the characters is slowly developed so well. like damn. Kazuki's story is specially detailed and it caught me by surprise when they showed the flashbacks of the first episodes after we found out why he became so distant and conscious of people and everything made so much sense. and he felt so realistic in the way he reacted, his struggle to open up and every single time he started feeling anxious and panicking in public was so well done (and i wanted to take him away from the crowd and pat his head every time ugh T_T). i was just slightly dissapointed that right on the last episode he admited that he started crushing on Anzu bc after the entire season of them just being an amazing duo of friends i was so hopeful we would finally get a 'love interest' turned only best friend (bc lets admit its not like she doesnt already have enough ppl interested in her without Kazuki being one of them too). bc i was enjoying headcanoning him as aroace as i was watching :') oh well. maybe if it ends up not having a s2 i can pretend he realized he wasnt in love and he just loves her platonically a lot! if they dont give me the aroace boy i will rip it from their cold dead hands! :D

and i loved the plot twist on how Junta was actually her true childhood friend all along and she took so long to realize... his feelings were totally real awwwww and he is really a sweetheart, i like the childhood friend trope! buuuut i gotta admit im just living for the huge crush Makoto clearly has on Junta. boyo isn't hiding it very well. that scene when Makoto holds Saki's hand and takes her away from the triggering situation? that was gay x lesbian solidarity right there !

and Saki OH MY GOD SAKI. the episode focused on showing how the two of them became friends and how important Anzu is to her and the way she has always defended her and what Saki went through oh god... her story was so realistic and seeing her reaction seeing that stupid ass ex was such a realistic depiction of a kind of trauma like that. she's such a good character im so happy they developed her so well and didnt make her just an irrelevant school friend character!!! (also she's a lesbian i am not taking criticism- /hj)

i need to mention how Anzu is absolutely bisexual btw. her reaction to meeting Kazuki's sister? she literally straight up said "i'll fall for her" c'mon

and Riri!!! omg!!!! little genderfluid chaos gremlin!!!!!!!! i was so so happy that not only Anzu girbossed her way to getting them out of their punishment but she got them to permanently live on the human world AND officially made them one of the love interests??? ULTIMATE GIRLBOSS MOVE Anzu i love you so much dear. so ngl i lowkey would like seeing Anzu end up with Riri/Rio the most ksjefhskdjf badass girl x genderfluid gremlin??? so much potential cmon they literally were punished for breaking magic rules bc they care too much about Anzu that's so fucking cute skjfhsdf

and Hijiri!!!!! from a little annoying rich bastard to a little just slightly annoying tsundere rich baby!!! i really like that he's interested in her and all but ultimately he's just there working and helping her out a lot like he becomes genuinely a great friend??

so yeah. as one can tell from the immense number of written words here i have liked this anime quite a lot. binged it in a day, all at once, no regrets. i'll be happy if there's a 2nd season if it is as good as this 1st one, bc this was amazing! so glad i decided to give it a chance <3 there's even more things i could talk about here but i dont wanna write a novel chapter of a post so i'll stop here LMAO

but really, if you're into comedy, romance and some nice character development, you won't regret giving Romantic Killer a chance :)

I have been listening to your podcast ( great and funny) but you brought a lot of point about Kory and the Dickkory relationship to my eyes. While there is a slight few things I don’t agree with you with, there is plenty more in the aspect that Kory is the only real character with Character Development on the show and she has a consistent plot where she only grows.

I do admit I am one of the people that felt the show let me down in the aspect of Dick and Kory’s relationship in a sense that they are pretty slow to progress. To be fair, I’m impatient and we all had to suffered watching his other failed relationships with Dawn and Babs especially since they are the same relationship and i was dying at you saying that Dick didn’t love either one of those women let alone like lol. Particularly Dawn, since I’m rewatching the series in present day, he doesn’t like talking to her and she always seek him out and he didn’t respect Babs enough to like her. Your podcast made me think he only got “back together” with Babs to get access to the case because he really wasn’t putting much effort I mean HE WAS GOING TO PICK HER UP FOR THE”DATE” ON A MOTORCYCLE??!! She’s wearing a full gown. Neither one of those women were written well and in Dawn’s case acted well.

What I wouldn’t say is that Dick and Kory doesn’t have a relationship because they had one since they meet and they are doing something none of the couples have done: they are friends! She the only person he unprompted opens up to. Like I notice that people have to pry emotions from Dick and they still aren’t getting a full truth whereas he’s the floodgates of truth with Kory but I do believe he realize he can’t BS with Kory cause she will call him out on it.

Dick and Kory trust each other the most out of everyone on the team (well the adults). I will agree with you that I don’t understand why people felt that Donna was going to run the team when she had no interest in being in the team.

I am excited for the new season of Dickkory finally reaching the point where she remembers who she is and solve her inheriting the Throne situation and Dick finally came into his own hero in Nightwing so they can try again.

Judging by Brenton and Greg’s interviews, I do believe that we are going to get full realization of Dickkory feelings and because this maybe the last season for titan I hope not but I do think the DK fans are going to get a win but I do hope they have their expectations lower at times because of the writers.

Great podcast and can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Season 4.

Hey glad you like the podcast. To clarify I do agree we could have had more DickKory in s2&3 I just disagree with the people who say what we got was meaningless. We could have gotten more but I definitely wouldn’t trade for what other pairs on this show got. Not even just DickDawn and Dickbabs. All of them are awful short lived or toxic. ( Hawk and Dove was legit a nightmare relationship my God )

Dick and Kory actually being friends makes them special on this show. They still want to be around each other whether they are together or not. I wish the show just spent way more time on them than showing us failed relationships and friendships or Jason angsting about problems he creates for himself.

I get it’s ensemble and all but DickKory and the core 4 characters >>>>> the guest stars that overstayed their welcome. Seriously they are hands down the best part of the show

Do you have an opinion about Blaine’s character and how they changed him each season?

If this blog has proved anything, it’s that I can ramble, so here we go. 

Watching Glee independently of fandom was... weird. There are a lot of times I delved into fandom after and saw some plot point that I’d loved and found a perfect culmination, actually considered out-of-character or some such. From what I can tell, S2 was such a huge point in-fandom and with fanfic that the fan interpretations of a lot of characters ended up superceding the characters as they were on the show (take Will Schuester getting retconned to Journey superfan in one episode, when in S1 Journey was sung because of its association to Finn when Will wasn’t leading the group, so the show was clearly aware of what I assume are fandom jokes esp in regard to Will not listening to the kids and willing to play it up, and it did seem to happen at a few points). 

All that to say, with Klaine being as big as it was, I feel like Blaine got hit with that harder than most? How much was writers responding to some fandom-takes, how much was the televised version of the character departing from the fanon iteration, and how much was retconning is hard to say.

So, to go season by season. 

Whoops sorry, yeah this is going on for a while. 

Originally... Blaine didn’t really have much of a character? Season 2 was very bare-bones on the character front, they’d shifted the show’s focus to what was almost a sketch comedy at times so everyone was just one or two traits ramped up to insanity with little cohesion, Blaine existed solely in relation to Kurt, and he was ‘advice-giving gay kid, who’s less experienced than he lets on.’ (Like, he’s less sure of even his sexuality than Kurt). That was it. But I imagine this was also the time fanfic solidified him in a lot of people’s minds, when a lot of it wasn’t reflective of who Blaine was on the show? Especially with his minimal arc being presenting himself as more wise and knowing than Kurt, when at the end of the day this turned out to basically be an act/how he presents himself, and him being just as capable of misreading situations (Gap attack) as anyone. But if you read fic when you’d only seen him in his element with all the Warblers at his back and none of the layers being peeled back, I can see that messing with perception of him.

Season 3 defined him more clearly as a hopless romantic and a dreamer, both making more sense of his character, and fitting in with the themes of the show. The optimist who sometimes does questionable things in the name of that optimism, but trusts that things will work out well. Cliche views of sex, overcoming odds, romance... Which justifies his previous characterisation, though cracks start to show as he adjusts from being a big deal in the Warblers, to The New Kid. This carries on to season 4, where he faces he consequences of those aspirations, and acknowledges that switching schools for a guy is, well, a romantic idea in a storybook but kinda ends poorly in reality, following on from his alienation as well when the New Directions aren’t as in-sync with him as the Warblers were. Cue Blaine going from basically the head of a gay cult show choir in a private school with strict no bullying policies, in regular contact with his boyfriend, to alone in a homophobic less well-to-do school. He made the decision out of cheerful, unrealistic idealism, and it ended up the way it inevitably would. 

Which is when the meta element comes in again. Blaine is definitely acting different in season 4, but he’s also existing in a different context. For me, at least, it felt like natural development? He’s the hopeless romantic who feels like he can’t relate to his boyfriend, because Kurt’s graduated high school and moved to NY, Kurt has a completely different life and set of life experiences to Blaine. Heck, the fact Kurt ends up in an open relationship in S4, while the end of his dynamic with Blaine was down to him sleeping with someone else says a lot. Post high school, Kurt’s development is necessarily supercharged because that’s just how life goes once you’re out away from home for the first time, S4 was admittedly too overstretched to fully justify it all, but the fact that the NY cast had to adjust to a massively different context was one of the conflicts of the season. Blaine, meanwhile, is still in McKinley. Still in Lima. Unsurprisingly, he lags behind, and feels that pressure. 

Season 5 I guess is where we get weird? 5B, at least the New York stretch, follows on from the above well - post-graduation, Blaine is still the romantic, still tries for things with Kurt, and they definitely chafe a little to begin with when they try to completely jump into living together fresh after barely having gotten back together, and it clicks as a good follow-up to where they were. They have to get to know who one another are now, after massive transitional points in their lives. 

5A is, okay, tricky. The proposal fits who Blaine was - the same guy that swapped schools for Kurt, the impulsive romantic - but after, Blaine gets a gimmick every week, but then every episode of 5A was a different gimmick every week (then again, the same can be said for S2 where Blaine originated so hey) so it’s hard to say much about character. You have him befriending Tina and Sam, with all the crushes there, some stuff I am not touching, but it sticks out as well that Blaine does tend to stick with what’s familiar to him. But yeah, this is the bit where it feels like Glee dropping consistency for set pieces and jokes. 

S6 then sweeps in to conclude the arc. Obviously a big recurring element of Glee was characters finding themselves, deciding who they are and what they want to be, and Blaine gets matched with Rachel in this regard - he ostensibly gets a big success, but it doesn’t last, and he’s back doing nothing with no lodestone. So he does the same thing she does, and returns to his high school for the familiar atmosphere - and picks the school where he felt the most comfortable. One arc later, and his big song with Kurt for the finale includes the line “The daydream believer and the homecoming queen,” and I’m just assuming there are, like, a hundred klaine fics with that exact title.

Okay so, after all that. I don’t feel like Blaine necessarily changes at his core? At least for me, the arc’s easy to trace out - he’s a dreamer, a romantic, an optimist, who figures problems are easy to solve and that things will work out the way they do in daydreams. Reality challenges that at a few points, it hits him hard, and he loses both his Warbler-fame and Kurt and does start to spiral as Glee characters are wont to do. He definitely develops, but the core seems pretty consistent. 

Glee is really consistent with making characters question what it is they want, and whether it’ll make them happy. Like, basically every character has to go through that arc and come to their own answers. Rachel has her Broadway dreams and ends up struggling with the reality, Quinn has basically everything in regards to what she perceives as the ‘proper’ way to live her life, Kurt has his Broadway dreams especially with the limited roles for his range of voice... For Blaine, his dreams hit a similar beat, coming with the storybook idea as to how his relationship will go, solving someone’s problems with a few words (with Karofsky - a failure), being the wise mentor, grand romantic gestures that end up being bad ideas... 

Though I guess the oddities stick out more, with S2 and 5A as seasons with different focuses meaning you’re getting the same character in functionally a different genre which is always messy, and the vibe I get that fandom had a solid conception of who Blaine ought to be, before the end of S2? 

This was probably too long a reply, but hey. 

Overall, my opinion of Blaine is... relatively neutral? Which is no reflection on him - as much as I can make jokes about a lot of dynamics, I’m most attached to the characters after graduation just because, well, I watched the show as an adult. Unavoidably, they’re the ones I find more relatable. So barring characters with really solid inherent hooks (so, Quinn) I can enjoy the high school drama, but none of the characters immediately stand out to me - so Blaine works at a disadvantage with less than a full season’s length graduated. (Equally, to be honest, the seasons where Blaine felt like more of a presence, 2 and 5, were also my least favourite seasons, which definitely isn’t down to him but it does hurt his character, for me). I like his arc, Klaine is obviously fun, I like their dynamic as exes awkwardly navigating one another too sorry. He isn’t someone I hugely thought about because out-of-fandom he was a fairly secondary-to-tertiary character a lot of the time, but I like his development and he has some good arcs. I like how he goes full circle, from playing the part of a mentor in S2, to actually gaining the experience and confidence to fill that role by the end. 

Thanks for the ask! And, er, sorry

what is your opinion on klaus and dave?

Ooh hi there !! Thank you so much for this!!!

I think my opinions have shifted slightly, season by season. Never towards the negative, or anything like that, but naturally as we’ve had more seasons, I’ve looked at them a little differently.

Personally, I really like Klaus and Dave, a lot, but it’s clear that the show hasn’t focused on them as a main ship. I think they’ve been underwritten, but the significance of their relationship makes me very fond of them.

I think what we saw of Klaus and Dave in season 1 was great, enough that it felt like an earned offscreen cause for development, something that didn’t distract from the main plot, yet significantly changed Klaus. What we saw of s1 Dave seemed warm and likeable, and the way Klaus spoke about him makes me think they’d be a good fit. It seems like Dave is a very solid, grounded, down to earth kind of person who balances Klaus well, and I like the idea of their story.

That being said, season 2 felt like a letdown. Klaus was in an interesting position, as someone who’d been to the 60s before, to actually have experience, knowledge and friends in the 1960s. I was always under the impression that Dave was 30 in 1968, so I think there was opportunity to do something different with Klaus’s arc, tie Dave in more, like Sissy and Ray felt integral to s2 Allison and Viktor’s. I’m not really a fan of the cult, I think Klaus could’ve been an anti-war public speaker who only attracted the attention of ghosts from various wars.

But all that to say, I think Klave could’ve been an interesting season 2 arc. I wouldn’t want them to get together - I enjoy Klaus trying to stop Dave enlisting, enjoy the angst of loving someone who has never met you. But I don’t know. It feels like there could’ve been more there. Dave was an important part of Klaus’ season 1 journey, so I think the ability to see him again, and save his life.

I think season 2 also missed an opportunity to maybe… take that arc a step further. While I think the idea of Klaus getting sober to see Dave again in season 1 was a good story and character drive, it’s not a sustainable form of sobriety now Klaus is in the 1960s.

But yeah, with season 2 I liked the ideas but felt they weren’t itemised quite as much as I like. And who knows if there’s a deeper reason? But sadly that’s where we’ve been left.

Season 3 spoilers under the cut, just in case anyone isn’t caught up.

So, yeah. No Dave in season 3. Klaus off-handily mentioned him once, but it's interesting that this season spent so much time on Allison and Viktor's loss and desire to get back to the people they loved, yet didn't even touch Dave as a topic.

The dog tags are still there, still a form of comfort for Klaus, so I don't think he's completely forgotten Dave, what Dave means to him and what they had with each other, but I also think Klaus has a fairly good understanding that going back to the 60s wouldn't bring back their relationship. Dave still enlisted - even though he enlisted in the Marines - and he must hope that it's saved Dave's life, but to Klaus it probably doesn't matter. Going back wouldn't bring back the actual relationship they had, and looking for Dave or to see if he survived wouldn't make them feel any better.

It was an odd thing to barely mention, but I think Klaus is in a good place about it, he's sort of got some closure in season 2, even though it was mostly unhappy. I would've liked some acknowledgement, or a cleaner arc overall, but I guess the writers just wanted Dave to be a catalyst for Klaus' growth rather than a ship to explore. I'm not mad that it wasn't Klaus' entire arc in s3 (which I LOVED) but I do think it feels ignored when Viktor and Allison's arcs utilise those 1960s lovers a little better.

I like Klave though. A lot! I think there's a lot of potential for fanfiction to give them a bit more story. I even wrote one little fic, a year ago, though I would probably clean my prose up now. I do think they've been underserved a little after season 1, and that they're not really treated as a couple within the show, but I'm very glad for the story they have.

Anyway, wishing you a lovely day, dear anon!! Hopefully this wasn't too much of a ramble. xx

I posted 6,242 times in 2022

That's 896 more posts than 2021!

221 posts created (4%)

6,021 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@sobernatural

@buglovescas

@dwcoded

@emeraldcas

@deanshauntedmidnights

I tagged 5,141 of my posts in 2022

Only 18% of my posts had no tags

#supernatural - 3,446 posts

#destiel - 2,716 posts

#deancas - 2,712 posts

#dean winchester - 587 posts

#castiel - 288 posts

#fate the winx saga - 260 posts

#shadowhunters - 177 posts

#tvd - 170 posts

#ftws - 143 posts

#teen wolf - 134 posts

Longest Tag: 132 characters

#the moment when you're supposed to be the responsible employer and see something like this and try to hold back screaming and crying

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Riven and Musa | Cake By The Ocean (S2) (SPOILERS ABOUT SEASON 2) Lilac Edits was really fast with this wonderful Rivusa-edit. Great job! *returns to rewatch it multiple times*

60 notes - Posted September 17, 2022

#4

When you have rewatched Merlin six or seven times but want to go through all that emotional rollercoaster to introduce it to your friend, are nervous about her reactions...and these are her comments during episode two: 

“It seems like the show is developing the thing between Morgana and Arthur, but I would much rather want to see Morgana with Gwen and Merlin with Arthur. There is so much chemistry there already.”

“Gwen and Morgana have such bi-energy!”

[I made a mistake of accidentally telling her that Morgana is going to turn “evil” at some point, and now she has wild speculations of what would lead such a just cinnamon roll into that...and I’m sitting there like I’m constipated to avoid spoiling anything.]

[when Merlin and Arthur are fighting] “Oh, come on, just kiss and make up already!”

Also, she is such a ray of sunshine every time Kilgharrah appears and she has already so many crossover-ideas. 

And let me tell you, the big mix of relief, nostalgic pain and amusement that I felt was like no other. 

My inner voice: “Oh, honey, you’ve got a big storm coming!”

82 notes - Posted May 21, 2022

#3

I’m all too used to having “Yes, they are finally happy! Wait... Oh no, they are too happy right now... something bad is gonna happen any minute!”-moments, but it still sucks every time. 

134 notes - Posted May 8, 2022

#2

The last year and a half has been challenging enough already, and now Merlin is leaving Netflix too? Seriously? Dammit and other curses. 

158 notes - Posted November 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

My opinions about “Fate the Winx Saga” season 2 (MANY SPOILERS!)

If you haven’t seen it yet and want to experience it fully by yourselves, don’t read any further!

- Without any doubt, this season is even better than the first one. Such an emotional rollercoaster with many surprises and great villains. I loved all of the old and new characters and how these episodes deepened their bonds. It took some time for me to get used to the new actors of Rosalind and Ben - the original ones will always have a special place in my heart, but they did a good job with recasting, I think. 

- I have loved Abigail as Bloom since the first episode, but I’m glad she got so many opportunities to shine here.

- I didn’t especially like Skloom in the original animation, but they have stolen my heart in Fate, specifically during this season (episodes two and seven, my beloved). 

- I was both anxious and excited about seeing Flora, but I was pleasantly surprised. She is a badass, fits into group so well, and I like how her and Terra got closer and kind of sorted out their disagreements. 

- Everyone’s storylines and struggles were good and relatable (especially Bloom’s, Sky’s and Musa’s), but Terra’s took the first place for me for multiple reasons. 

- Stella’s and Riven’s character-developments are definitely also worth mentioning.

- My emotions about Dane have been conflicted this season, but I’m happy where we left with him, that the situation with Riven and him seems to be somewhat okay now and he has a chance to real happiness.

- I love Sam as a character, feel really bad for him and want him to find happiness, but Samusa never really was “it” for me (and it’s not just because I have had a soft spot for Rivusa since my childhood).

- When it comes to Rivusa, I really enjoyed their scenes together and can’t wait to see more of them. 

- Musa is still my favorite Winx altogether, even though I adore all of them.

- Aisha deserves everything beautiful and good in this world, dammit!

- I’m thrilled how much Silva-content we got this season. 

- Transformations and magic in general were done great.

- A good nod to Trix, I must say.

- That ending scene got me so emotional it was almost ridiculous. 

Aaand the downsides...

- Farah will always be the headmistress of Alfea to me and many, many others. The scenes we got with her, and her one last valuable lesson, were touching and I’m thankful for them, but she deserved so much more. There was an amazing build up of Golden Trio in season 1, and it was all thrown to waste. My Silrah-heart had so much hope and now it’s broken. And yes... I cried my eyes out. But when it’s all said and done... I just wanna thank Eve Best for portraying Farah so marvelously (and read loads of Silrah/Golden Trio-fanfics).

- Even though Andreas was very... questionable, I’m sad that there were so few scenes between him, Sky and Silva. 

- Stellatrix belongs to my “had so much hope”-department and well ... </3 

Such a great season, and a heartbreaking cliffhanger. We gotta get season 3, as soon as possible.

268 notes - Posted September 17, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

Violetta season 1: The rewatch: The conclusion

It's much harder to conclude when you've seen a season 11 billion times, but this is, believe it or not, the first time I watch it all in spanish. Of course I have seen episodes in spanish, but never a full season. So, there was a new experience!

Well...

I've appreciated Jade much more!! <3

I hate Germán more :D

I feel like my Pablangie shipping is fading... which was a little odd. In S1 I've always been THERE for them, but now I felt like I barely cared. Hm. I still appreciate that they got basically more kisses than Germangie combined <3

Napo really be so gay on main that they deleted him from existence in S2

Ok, but honestly, we always call Braco and Napo boyfriends, but I tbh felt the vibe rn of just confused eastern european and his gay best friend. Braco himself doesn't have much vibes of any sorts

Y'all realize Andrea and Gustavo very much still are at the Studio and the characters probably see them every day and pretend they don't know them

GOD how I loved Angie and Violetta's dynamic. Every time I rewatch these shows, I expect to focus on a thing and then I focus on something I didn't think. In SL I didn't think I would focus so much on Lumon in S2, for example. And I didn't think I would focus so much on the aunt and niece relationship but THE TIME IS NOW <3

I keep imagining what would've happened if Angie was there for all of her childhood. How much happier Violetta's life would've been. Imagine how it would have been. She could have told Vilu all about her mom. She could have picked her up from school and take her out for ice cream and lunch. She would defend any bully trying to pick on her. She would teach her so much her dad couldn't. She could've helped her when she got her first period (which I imagine, probably was not a fun experience in Vilu's canon upbringing, she prob had NO ONE to talk to). And with that, Angie could've probably been the one giving Vilu "the talk" and make it a less awkward experience cause she's open to any questions and Vilu would feel more comfortable asking them. Violetta could have more time to develop crushes and Angie could've talked to her about it... THEY COULD'VE SUNG TOGETHER AND ANGIE WOULD HAVE SUPPORTED HER SINGING!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAUGH GERMÁN WHY DID YOU NOT LET HER HAVE THIS CHILDHOOD SOMEONE WRITE A FIC ABOUT THIS ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OR I WILL

The Franletta moments keep popping up and now i'm about to enter the RAINBOW SEASON and you BET I will find even more moments that isn't already there!!

The songs are banging as usual

Gregorio is so much more funnier than I remember. EVERY dance class with him is filled with chaos and I love it.

You know the man we don't talk about? We don't talk about him, he's gone <3

NOW it's time to enter season 2, with

DIEGO

ESMERALDA

MARCO

THE HAPPY VIBES

THE BEST SONGS

DIEMILA

MARCESCA

LEONETTA AT THEIR PEAK

DIELETTA

THE BEST STORYLINES

FEDEMILA BEGINNINGS

LUTY CONTINUING TO SLAY

DIELEON

AND... FRANLETTA AND FRANLETTA AND FRANLETTA AND FRANLETTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Season 2 makes me so happy. Season 2 makes me so warm inside. It's so colorful, so cozy, always filled with sunshine... not to mention the incredibly queer vibes that has filled the air.

That's why my tag for season 2 is "The epic violetta rewatch 2: the rainbow season"

But before we get into that, you might wanna watch my out of context video? <3 It's much from s1, but I squeezed in some from S3 and like one scene from S2 based on my mutuals' liveblogs. There were some scenes I just couldn't bring myself not to include them.

「 🐳 」 ohh my goodness i remember the wedding event so well because i kept on trying to coax my friend into playing obey me by showing her satan's bit with the storybook, hehe <3 mammon's proposal was super cute too, from what i recall.

and ... you have seen my posts because the reason why i even discovered your blog was because you gushed on one of mine beginning around a year or so ago (•́⌄•́๑)૭✧ since then, i've been checking up on your blog often since it's rare to find people in the obm fandom that i actually agree with and aren't insufferable and who don't get the treatment of my notorious and yet, agreeable, “so no bitches?”, attitude many have claimed to admire purely because i'm able to find a way where i make the other shut up with my swd veteran discount card without seeming like an asshole.

and oh my goodd i feel you with those intimacy levels so much sjdnfskjd i've never bought vip in obm in my life, so trying to grind for satan in particular is SO much more difficult than it needs to be but it's okay because he's like a stray cat that glued itself to its owner and you can't help but love it, even if he is distant and closed-off on some days.

i remember when the nowdateables FIRST came out to be available for the homescreen ... they skipped solomon's birthday a few days after it was implemented and yet, he still had his birthday dialogue. i was so sad for him that i agreed to keep him on my homescreen and working and farming levels for him out of love and pity </33

respectable intimacy levels, by the way! i wish the level for my diavolo was lower because i just couldn't stand him in season 4 and i felt as though it were a clap back to when s2 was first released and the first thing i thought when solomon showed us the dagger was, “please tell me that's for diavolo, i don't accept anyone else”. not to say that i hate him !! he's just ... euurrhrhhggg (/neu) to me, yk??

on the brighter side of season 4, we got hilarious hard mode lesson stories! one was of solomon acting hilariously catatonic, similar to a dementia patient, after sleeping all day when he researched all night, and it basically went

solomon: 🧍

raphael: 👁️ ⬜️⬜️

simeon: ??????

solomon was acting like an old man, simeon begged for help, but raphael went “i Do Not See, i'm busy staring at ... uh ... the wall”.

in the hard mode chapter for lesson 80, leviathan was summoned to the human realm by mc, who was with solomon, and since levi was dressed in a tsl outfit and wouldn't stop yelling in the middle of a train station, solomon went, “stfu rn you cringe ass” (reality: “okay, i get it. could you quiet down now?” and the reason why this is so funny was because he had the ( ^^;;) look before putting on a blank face once he heard levi's explanation and went 😑). eventually, he and mc took leviathan to a book signing for simeon's newest tsl edition. and i just ... ended up crying tbh because why the fuck did all of simeon's character development go into the HARD MODE CHAPTER OF LESSON 80???

it was so beautifully well done imo and simeon spoke very vulnerably about how he took up writing as a way to cope with the loss of lucifer and his brothers, and how he is now accepting of them and himself and i think that finally, after all of the avoidance lucifer has done in relation to the shared trauma he has with simeon (and due to simeon's ignorance of not entirely understanding their situation at the time), i think they'll be ready to finally confront each other so im crossing my fingers that s-lmare will not fuck this up like the obm fandom does everyday

anyways, super glad that you think back to what i mentioned about bird song and dolasach :,)) and hopefully, my new response will help you become inspired, too!

Honestly after seeing the Wedding Event's proposals I'm like... Well idk what's going to top this in terms of romance anymore? (and then Satan's 2021 bday UR showed up and murdered me with private proposal at the end sdfhgkjhg)

Definitely couldn't get over Mammon's proposal, but like... More because it's fun and cringey then thinking it's cute skhjdg can't believe he managed to get the Purgatory Boys to join him 😭

Also??? Insane??? And more than a year ago??? Nonnie you're killing me, who are you!! ;A; Also you've been lurking on my blog for that long?? I honestly think I'm pretty insufferable but I'm glad I didn't get that treatment from you >.<

Does VIP make it easier to level up the intimacy? Iirc it just doubles the XP you gain from doing dance battles and doubles the chances of getting drops from the Jobs but nothing about the intimacy...? Can't get RedxRed Apple Pies from the jobs anymore anyway, we get the stuff the side boys like + the stuff that I'm assuming will be for the newbies once they're dateable too

nkjkbfgb I guess that kind of adds to my theory that the devs don't really do any long term planning even when it comes to major decisions like that? Because I feel like they'd have celebrated Solomon's birthday with a proper event if they did since he was already an Intimacy Uppable character by then, even if it was like, a few days after...

shfjdfg Tbh I only have levels with Diavolo because he's one of the only Gluttony cards I've got... If it were up to me I really wouldn't have levels with him hkjdfg he's interesting as a character but I don't like him, personally. Same as you, I find him really annoying in S4 and like... Idk? He purposely says and does some of the most infuriating things both in main story and in events >.> I often think about how during the part in S2 where he tries to comfort MC after telling them about the effects + possible options for severing the ring, Dola would not let him anywhere near her and would never let him hug her the way he got to hug canon MC.

Like why would she find comfort in the guy who's caused her all this trouble?

And sdjhkgdhjfg Fuck S4 for leaving all that in hard mode?? After all the pointless bullshit we had to deal with, we get the good shit like Simeon opening up like that trapped in hard mode when it should've been in Lesson 80 itself? I think hard mode should be for bonus fleshing out snippets like sneak peeks into life at Purgatory Hall like the scene with them you described, and for bites of foreshadowing... Characterization like that being locked there is so :/

Tbh I'm not even going to try and hope for anything in S5 anymore lmao I'm going to keep my expectations to rock bottom so that I don't get burned like I did with S4. I genuinely thought that the reason why we had S3 be more on character development (or attempts at it, in some cases) was because we'd have something more plot heavy once we got S4, especially with everything they were dropping and hinting at with the Celestial Realm and with something major going on with Simeon. Plus I thought that MC being an official registered sorcerer would be of more interest than it did?

So idk. Solmare has the ability to write well, but will they actually do it should they decide to have Simeon and Lucifer have a proper conversation? Or will they let me down the same way they did with almost the entirety of S4?

And ofc!! I have nights when I just lay down and listen to the Spotify playlist you sent just thinking about Dola and planning things out >.< Insane really...

final thoughts: supernatural season 2

finished season 2 this morning and it ended on a great note. i like the ending a lot more than i liked s1's, since it felt more natural and less contrived. the buildup to it was awesome, and the setup for season 3 is clear and motivating!

i think my biggest criticism of s2 is the pacing. it really wasn't bad, all things considered, but there were a few episodes i thought just didn't belong in the sequence they were. where s1 had this continual forward momentum going, s2 had occasional abrupt stops. example, the tonal difference between ep12 nightshifter and ep13 houses of the holy felt massive. nightshifter amps up the police subplot, ending with them worried about being implicated in another crime and therefore being on more police radars. houses of the holy kinda ignores that and has very little follow-up to them needing to lay low. it's only really brought up again when they're talking to henrickson and he mentions that they were flying under the radar up until now—which is all well and good, but that should have been felt after all of that happened. instead what we got felt more like a reset button where things went back to normal for them. a very "business as usual" case, as if they weren't being pursued by the law.

there were a few other negligible cases where i got a bit tired of binge-watching the series, which honestly didn't really happen in s1. so the pacing was a bit slower overall. nothing that was super obvious, but it did have its bumps.

but really, that's my only real criticism of it. i think the plots were strong this season, and the tension built really naturally over the course of it. if i had to wish for anything, it would have been development, of any kind, for sam's psychic powers—or otherwise the active rejection of that development. where the other psychics were growing their powers or gaining increasing command over them, sam remains oddly stagnant, which is something i wouldn't expect considering he's put into high-stress situations so often. if it's a matter of accepting the powers, then it would have been nice to see him struggle more with it. they just weren't very prevalent until they were relevant, which was fine in season 1 because they were still trying to figure out what the hell was going on, but now that they have an idea it felt more like things should be Happening with sam. maybe they will in season 3? honestly i can't remember, i watched it a decade ago.

the last 3 episodes of the season were honestly really great though. i love how all three of them play into each other, even though the A plot of ep20 is relatively unrelated to the season finale. it set dean up perfectly for his struggle in ep22 and gave weight to his wishing the world to burn without sam in it. hit right in the gut with all the context of who dean is as a person and what his wishes and desires are.

i still love the commitment to camp in this show and the way they use camp in a unique way that doesn't really come to mind when you think of camp. it gives the show its identity and the fact that the writers and actors don't shy away from it really makes it a great watch. there are some seriously funny episodes in this season, and it makes me even more excited for the funny episodes i know are coming up. gabriel/loki/whatever was especially a hit and i love the interesting storytelling format of that episode. the addition of new psychics was great, and i liked how different their personalities were and how they so clearly conveyed the ways they coped with their powers. they create a wonderful backdrop for sam, and it all came together well for the finale.

overall a great season—it had a few hiccups, but the tension and buildup was really good, and most of the episodes did a fine job at following up on the previous developments and keeping the momentum going. super excited to start on season 3 :)

The thing that irks me the most about how people treat Billy Hargrove as a character is that they have no room for empathy with him.

I know what it's like to have a father like that and I know what it's like to be so angry inside and to act in the only way I knew how because of that anger. Unlike Billy I had a chance to realize it didn't have to be that way and I changed for the better.

Billy was still a teenager, there was still a chance for him and in season three I really believe he was already on a better path. From what we know he had his job, his coworkers liked him and he was teaching swimming lessons to kids. He was trying to make his bad situation into a good one.

He was being used by the mind flayer to do all those horrible things he did, things he very clearly did not want to do (Thanks Dacre for the incredible acting). He spent most of the season crying, being stuck inside his own body having to do unthinkable things. Like in the parking lot mall scene, you think he wanted to crash his car and hurt these people? Absolutely not. He revved the engine to warn them, look at his face in that scene. He looks strained because he's fighting it.

He's a complex character and it makes stories interesting. Hating him and being so aggressive about people who might like him in the slightest is WEIRD. He's not a real person, he was a plot device. One of my favorite things is to break down characters and their motivations, it's easier to understand them when you dive deeper into their motivations.

Anyway, I don't know how to end this because I could go on and on but I think this post is long enough.

The Split update!!!

So no surprise I caved and I’ve just finished the 3rd and FINAL series of the split!! 🙁

I’ll add my thoughts here in a few days because I’m about to hit play on a rewatch! 😂

Update--

 I am REALLY going to miss Hannah Defoe, it’s crazy how I've been feeling since I finished series 3. I just need to curl up in a dark room so I can begin to feel a little normal. Nicola Walker is just too good; I just don’t understand what she’s done to me!! Cheers Nicola...  

Anyway, nobody wants to hear any more about me. Let's ramble about The Split.  

It's probably spoiler free, but just in case!

So, I didn’t really know what to expect from the final series, I tried my best to stay away from every bit of promotional media beforehand. The first couple of episodes I was a little worried about Hannahs character development (granted there was a lot going on in the first two eps) but thankfully things did get better.  

A lot of people seemed to be willing Hannah and Nathan to get back together but I wasn’t really in that boat, I mean he’s already cheated on her and while they were on a ‘break’ or before deciding on the divorce he’d already got a girlfriend and got her pregnant, ok not intentionally, but still. Now that’s not to say that Nathan didn’t love Hannah I really think he does and she him, but I felt like they were coming to a natural end, Hannah seemed reluctant to let go probably due to the fact that Nathan is all she’s really known and didn't want her children to experience the distant father figure like she did, which lead her to hold a little resentment towards her father and most men for the majority of her life. I think as time went on, she knew that she was going to be able to do it differently for her kids and that allowed her to make that decision.  

Hannah was always wanting reassurances from Nathan that he wouldn’t turn out to be just like her dad. That has always seemed to be the main worry for Hannah of all men, except maybe for Christie, which is weird. That may be down to the fact they have quite a deep rooted friendship, this is me just surmising as we don’t really know that much about their younger years although Hannah does seem freer with him, she seems her true self so it’s maybe showing how comfortable she is with him, hinting again to a deep friendship. I’ve been on the Christie boat since season 1 and got really pissed off when they basically ruined his character in the second part of series 2, it was totally not him and just didn’t seem right but maybe it had to go down that route for the explosive s2 ending. Anyway, I was so happy to get the old Christie back for series 3. Christie has been in love with Hannah for over 20 years, there is absolutely no denying it and I think it has always been there for Hannah as well, but she done a better job at suppressing it than Christie. Now it’s probably more down to Nicola and Barry but together they are absolutely electric, between Hannah and Nathan there is deep devotion but maybe not that real spark. That’s maybe a factor on why she marries Nathan and not christie, she sees Nathan as the safer choice, less chance of getting hurt.  

There is so much more to talk about, but this is getting a little incoherent because really, I need to rewatch the 3 series and take notes which probably won’t happen!  

Anyway, hope Christie is getting on ok while he’s packing up his life in New York and making his way back to London for Hannah.  

I’ve missed so much out! I also need to hear what everyone else is thinking but nobody is talking about it! 🙁  

Don't want to say goodbye to the Defoes!

The Chloe-Saga

Regarding the whole Chloe-situation: I don’t get it. Just what exactly makes Astruc not only hate a character of his creation to this extent but also makes him not stop giving her more and more prominence in the actual show? Like, in S1 she was the quintessential high school bully. Hates the main character, has the same love interest, causes a lot of “problems/villain of the week”. And guess what? That’s perfectly fine as an archetype. She fulfilled her purpose and it was fun whenever she got put down a notch. That some fans latched onto her and her being redeemed? That’s what a fandom does. It takes characters and gives them a new spin – that does not mean they like what a character in canon does, it means they want to explore those characters outside their bubble. With the identity-shenanigans going on, there even was a pre-build reason for why Chloe might question herself. In S2 we then got the full package of explanations for why Chloe’s Chloe. And while some of them were a bit much and Chloe still did a lot of bad things that might even exceed the “justifications”, Chloe became more than an archetype and more like a character with a clearer background and needs and wishes. What did Astruc expect? Even when we don’t buy her background AND think she went far beyond moral boundaries, there still is a lot more to latch onto. And in S3 and in S4 she got more focus and excuses. Fought of an Akuma. Was explicitly targeted by the big bad and more than once hurt by her idol. Got more family drama and focus on how her family affects people. If we are truly meant to hate Chloe and see not one bit of goodness (which Astruc tells us too) just why are we getting all that focus and excuses? As a one-dimensional schoolyard bully it would have been a lot easier to simply hate her. But that role is apparently Lila’s turf now… The way I see her character and development: One of her traits from the very beginning was how much she liked Ladybug and how much it hurt her whenever LB rejected or renounced her in a way she could not wave aside. She even literally dressed up as Ladybug! In S2 when her mother was introduced, what was one of the first things Chloe did? She sat besides her and mimicked every single movement. For me these were the defining moments of Chloe’s potential to be good. A girl who just really craves the attention of powerful female role models that she can model herself after. A girl who is way more insecure than her bratty face lets on. A girl who has not yet really found herself. Audrey’s entire character essentially is a grown-up Chloe. Petty and nasty and kicking down at every opportunity. Seeing how Chloe reacted to her, mimicked her, and just wanted to be recognized by her, I see most of Chloe’s character essentially as her modelling herself after her. Which is not helped by her father essentially being a rubberstamp with authority, Sabrina being an extended arm, and the butler…being a butler. Ladybug was the counter-weight. It was obvious Chloe cared about her and her opinion of her. She was still flawed and at times outright cruel but there was a hint of progress. Be it her later appearances as Queen Bee where she was either willing to listen (Maledictator) or act as part of the team (Heroe’s Day) or the entire “rejected an Akuma”-saga complete with shielding Sabrina without anything to gain from it. For me the most hurtful moment was when Marinette in her endless goodness reconciled mother and daughter. Because ultimately that was part of what made Chloe continue to model herself after Audrey and what made her stop questioning if Audrey truly is a woman to be emulated. Double hurtful because with Ladybug off her pedestal she was back as the sole role model and because this is yet another thing that can be construed as ultimately being Marinette’s fault (which I don’t believe in and absolutely hate!). We had all these things. Neglectful mother she wanted to emulate in the hopes to be recognized. Secondary role model that cast her out for reasons pertaining to her sins of the past and even before often rejected her for reasons Chloe couldn’t know about. A lot of enablers who either can’t or won’t tell her ‘no’ or 'stop that’ [and we know Chloe at least listens when the few people she cares about tell her]. This is not a condemnation story, that is a tragedy! Which is another thing I am weirded out about. How can Chloe be an irredeemable demon who has not a semblance of goodness in her and yet we are expected to feel stabbed in the heart by the S3-finale? Either she had the potential to be good and it was a tragedy it was not meant to be, or she is an obvious devil who nobody should feel for or with. We can’t have both! Should I feel betrayed or should I feel like that was just Chloe upping her Chloeness?

---------------------------------------------------------------

According to what Astruc said, we were all supposed to feel betrayed by the Season 3 finale.

Chloe’s relationship with her mother is a real missed opportunity, as she was set up as a completely despicable person everyone hates, and of course, she reconciles with her while the writers never acknowledge the abuse. Seriously, Astruc doesn’t think Chloe being emotionally neglected by her mother for years to the point where she can’t even get her name right and developing a slight inferiority complex as a result counts as abuse.

THIS IS WHAT THOMAS ASTRUC ACTUALLY BELIEVES

Like you said, there have been plenty of plenty of irredeemable villains the audience still felt bad for when they were defeated because of how tragic their stories were.

Tai Lung from the original Kung Fu Panda is a good example. He was trained by Master Shifu, someone he saw as a father, and his skills grew, so did his desire for power. He saw not being granted the title of the Dragon Warrior as if he was denied something that was rightfully his. There’s also the fact that his desire to become the Dragon Warrior stemmed from his desire to make his father proud of him by achieving the greatest honor in Kung Fu.

Tai Lung: All I ever did, I did to make you PROUD! Tell me how proud you are, Shifu! Tell me! TELL ME! 

Shifu: (quietly) I have always been proud of you. From the first moment, I've been... proud of you. And it was my pride that blinded me. I loved you too much to see what you were becoming... what I was turning you into. I'm s... I'm sorry. 

Tai Lung: (hesitates for a moment before grabbing the injured Shifu) I don’t want your apology. I want my scroll!

Even though he stops for a second, Tai Lung still wants his power, ultimately shooting down the last chance he had at reconciling with his father. Both him and Shifu had problems that led to Tai Lung’s descent into villainy, but while one recognized his part, the other simply couldn’t comprehend he did anything wrong in the first place. THAT is how you do a tragic villain, not what we got with Chloe.

If Astruc wanted Chloe to be an irredeemable monster, he needed to show her meaner moments weren’t something to laugh at (something the show Kevin Can F**k Himself is doing a great job at in regards to the titular character by deconstructing sitcom cliches), and have the audience take her seriously as a threat, not a joke villain like in “Queen Banana”. If Chloe actually was a “deep character” like what Astruc obviously planned from the start, she should have been more than comic relief after betraying Ladybug.