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dangermousie · 9 months

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Farscape rewatch - Season of Death, 3x01

Season of Death is my favorite season opener ever. Also, what an apt name for the start of this season, which will ultimately be driven so much by death and loss and aftermath. Oh John. His ‘want to die...Aeryn is gone’ is heartbreaking. Some of the lowest he’s been.

And Scorpius is still there, the bleeding over from removed neural chip - I love that nothing is ever easy and clean in this show, there is no restart and Harvey is symbolic of the fact that you can never erase the slate to go to pre-damage state (but like Crichton, can learn to live with it.) But this Harvey, Crichton does mentally defeat in that awesome dumpster scene and how fitting that it’s Stark - someone who is also mad because of Scorpius, someone who was also tortured by him and had to learn to live with it - who helps him through. Zhaan and Stark are generally lovely here. God, I love how dark they both can be, and yet how good.

And Scorpy is as always a clever bastard who freaks me out. And WTF are Jothee and Chiana doing (more on Jothee’s side than Chiana’s. Being a bad girlfriend is one thing but Jothee is D’Argo’s son! She is so good at self sabotage.)

But none of it is what I want to talk about because Aeryn is back, brought back by Zhaan. And I love that the main motivation is because John loves her. Zhaan does owe Crichton a lot, including her own sanity, but I think it’s also guilt because it’s her actions in DMD that released the chip Crichton to go wreak havoc and kill. And how Aeryn that she comes out of her grave shooting! My favorite ever scene in Farscape, any season, any ep, is John seeing Aeryn again, in the snow, with D’Argo’s qualta blade. And his uncontrollable shaking and his disbelief, his desperate overload (which says miles of how many ways his head has been screwed with when his first reaction is that this is yet another mind trip, cruelest one of all) and then her explanation sinking through, and his touching her hair and seeing it shorter where he cut off the lock and realizing it’s indeed Aeryn, and it’s Aeryn and she is not dead…God, I can’t! And the way he says ‘You are alive’ in a voice we never heard him use before, as if he is gulping and sobbing and laughing all at once, and he crushes her to him and holds as if he is drowning and will never let go.

(The caps really do not do the scene justice because he’s literally shaking all over and I caaaan’t!) And the wonderful scene at the end of the ep, where he is standing back on Moya and she comes in, and he tells her he loves her, in a very quiet voice and she says the same and they aren’t even looking at each other, but then he walks over to her and turns her about and they are kissing and the force of their love and need and desperation literally brings them to their knees but they are not breaking the kiss.

Screaming!

And she breaks away and says they shouldn’t act on it and I love how through he little list of reasons why they shouldn’t, he is only 1/3 listening because he is too fixated on body contact and wanting to kiss her - his thumb on her lips as she tries to explain!!!

And then he finds out about Zhaan, because yes, in Farscape, nothing is purely happy and free and Zhaan is dying now because of bringing her back. (Side note: Zhaan did this so you two can be happy, so get on with it!) I think for Aeryn, Zhaan is a reason, yes, but another is, she is terrified (and experience with chip didn’t help any): she had never loved before, never been emotionally involved…it’s terrifying to her. I love the last scene with Stark and Zhaan, his holding her in the burnt out section of Moya, a dark peace. Because there is always a price.

#farscape

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raayllum · 1 year

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So one of my favourite mini arcs throughout the show (specifically in s1 and s3) is the consistent theme of

Callum finding or believing in the worth / beauty of things, even or especially if Rayla initially derides them

and I figured it was about time to talk about it, since it’s been over three years by now. In which I mean: it starts in 1x02, takes off in 1x05, continues throughout 1x07 and 3x02, and largely culminates (for now) in 3x04. The obvious in 1x02 is that Callum sees value in Ezran’s life that Rayla doesn’t (even if she still sees more than she should) and argues for it. Like so much of their S1-S4 arc whether literally, thematically, etc. comes back to their first scenes together in 1x02, so this is no surprise. But 1x05 is what starts tackling it directly.

It starts small, but noticeably, with the cube, carrying on somewhat with their conflict from the previous night.

C: Last night you said the cube was just a worthless toy. But now we know— R: It’s a glow toy. C: [Enthusiastically] Exactly! R: [Flatly] Exactly.

Callum sees worth and excitement in the cube with belief (or hope) it could be something special while Rayla is more ‘realistic’ and doubtful. We see this be also one of the things that bleeds over into our beloved boat scene, as Rayla is initially very to the point about Xadia and Callum gets her to expand on and appreciate things on a deeper level, like he’s reminding her of the joy and wonder to be found in magic from an outsider’s perspective.

We see this further reflected on the shore at the end of the episode, when Callum sees something brave / positive / heroic in Rayla’s behaviour for precisely the same reason she sees something shameful. I don’t think it’s any mistake that after these exchanges that Rayla starts to purposefully indulge Callum a bit more in say, 1x07.

Then in 3x02, Callum is of course having the absolute best time in Xadia, appreciating each and every part of what is utterly normal and mundane about Rayla’s home, even if she’s still softened by his vivid interest and appreciation in it.

Then of course the biggest display is in 3x04 when Rayla has her breakdown and Callum lovingly and steadfastly builds her back up again, seeing plenty of wonderful things about herself: both things her culture and family prized, and things they actively discouraged or that she’s found shame in, like her heart: “Your heart isn’t hard enough to do whatever it takes” “I told Runaan you were too good hearted”

He says she’s beautiful because she called herself a mess. He reminds her of her resilience and ability to get back up. He makes her laugh and she wipes away her tears.

This is of course what Rayla and Callum both compound for each other. Callum sees worth and beauty in most things, even when Rayla doesn’t, including and especially herself. However, Rayla also does the same, not necessarily for the world (although she warms up to it because of him for sure) but in how she views and treats Callum, valuing him above his ability to do magic every step of the way. It’s why when she gives her big grand Best Friend speech about Callum in 3x01 she doesn’t mention his magic once. Not because she thinks it’s unimportant to him or about him, but because she values him for all his Callum-ness first and foremost, “magic or no magic” (2x07). And that is what I love about them.

#rayllum #platonic rayllum #s1 #s3 #arc 1 #analysis series #analysis #mini meta #appreciation #personal fave #tdp #parallels #characterization

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flythesail · 2 years

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on this gifset of the scene of Ace asking Nancy, "Why did you hesitate at the veil? You said you were doing this for us. What does that mean?" you said in your tags: #i am SOOOO obsessed with the way it was filmed

I would like to invite you to talk a little more about that, if you wanna, because I would love to hear your thoughts. ♡

Hii, YES I will talk about that!!

*Pulls out 3 hour long presentation I've had sitting in a folder labeled just in case.*

The short answer is: I love how much movement there is in the scene through the camera work. Also, how the camera work is used to reflect what's actually happening in the scene.

Yet because this is possibly my favorite scene in the finale, here's the LONG answer + bonus narrative analysis! ->

To recap, this is right after the veil. Nancy comes back to The Claw, saves Ryan's life, and soon after, the rest of the crew arrives. They discuss damage, casualties, and what's next. Nick and George are off to the youth center to open it as a shelter. Bess and Ace are going to empty the freezer and cook food for people.

Ace watches Bess and the others go, and immediately turns to Nancy: "We could use some help if you're up for it."

The important thing to note here is this is right after the veil. The last Ace interacted with Nancy, she told him to run from the veil ("I'm doing this for us, okay?") and right after, grabbed the front of his jacket, apologized in tears, and left. So he's definitely concerned!

Yet instead of being like "what happened back there at the veil?" he takes the I know Nancy route, and invites her to help him and Bess.

It's comparable to 3x01. There, Ace could tell Nancy was off. So when she says this:

He says, "I can help you carry it."

And it works! She accepts. Whereas he's asking if she literally wants help carrying it, it's also his way of saying "hey, I'm here if you want to talk." It gets them alone and leaves the decision to then talk up to Nancy (who we all know tends to not want to do that) (unless it's to Ace 😉).

But in the finale, that method does not work. Nancy does not want to talk. She shakes her head and tells him she's going with Nick and George instead.

In terms of the camera work here (gif below), it's incredibly quick. We jump from Ace, to Nancy saying no, to her grabbing the first aid kit and making a run for it.

It highlights how badly Nancy needs to get away from him. She just held him dead in her arms, found out that wasn't even real, came back to reality only to give him up to save the town, and now here she is at The Claw - needing to pretend none of that happened. Which is more or less impossible because she just experienced some of The Worst moments of her life.

Yet this time, Ace doesn't let her run.

Technically, this is uncharacteristic for him. He never pushes Nancy. He knows that only pushes her away. But this is really important. He also knows it involves him.

So Ace follows her into the back of The Claw. The camera as Ace follows Nancy is another example of how much movement there is in the scene.

We stay right behind him as he practically jogs after her. The camera is a bit shaky, and that highlights the lack of stability in the scene. He knows something's wrong (is probably panicking because of that). Nancy is incredibly upset (needing to get away so he doesn't see her cry, further proving that something is wrong).

Here's where we end up next, with Nancy in the back putting the first aid kit on a shelf. Maybe expecting Ace to not follow, she begins to let herself cry. She's alone now.

Which does not last. Ace arrives and as soon as she realizes that, she has to put all that emotion away.

Interesting to note here is that Ace wastes zero time before asking Nancy what's up. He needs to know, and maybe he's thinking if he doesn't hurry and ask, she'll slip away again.

What I like about this part is the camera is focused on Ace. Yet we can see Nancy too. Ace is focused on Nancy. The perspective doesn't change much from when Nancy puts the kit away and when Ace shows up. He's there that fast, so all she can do is turn to him. I think because of that, the way it's filmed feels personal. To stay with the idea of movement, we've moved with them. We're with Nancy, and then Ace shows up, and we see that from her perspective.

Since Nancy can't run, she gives him an answer. She hesitated because she's never killed someone.

For what it's worth, it's a decent attempt at an answer. Even if it's entirely a lie, as Nancy already killed Temperance once before in the future forecast. But in that sense, there's still truth to it because killing Temperance is something she struggled with in the forecast too.

To discuss perspective, we are now from Ace's. Nancy is now the one talking and Ace is the one listening. Yet look how close we are to Ace, basically at his shoulder. It still feels personal. This entire scene is very personal for them. The camera is still not steady. Even as Nancy gives her explanation, she's starting to move away from him. She's talking fast too, sniffling as she does. There's an urgency here, just like there is in the entire scene.

The second she's said what she needs to, Nancy leaves. She doesn't give him a chance to ask follow-up questions or even respond.

She pushes past him as she leaves, and the camera responds to that.

The camera pushes back as she pushes past Ace. The perspective ends lower and further back than where it started. This distance works in contrast to the moment prior, where we were very close to Nancy and Ace. This shows how alone Ace is. Literally alone because Nancy is gone, and also figuratively as he has no idea what's going on.

I'll also point out that Ace does not move. So much of this scene is movement because the camera is following them. Jumping from Ace to Nancy, the walk to the back room, Nancy leaving, etc.

Now, he's still as the camera moves without him. The camera moving shows the tension isn't gone, but Ace is now at a loss. His attempt to talk to Nancy failed because all he got was a lie (or half-truth). He can't follow her as he knows she's upset. Following her would further upset her, increase the emotional distance between them, etc. He's doing the right thing in letting her go.

As the scene ends on this new angle, he just looks smaller. He looks helpless. He's left to contemplate what just happened, and we don't learn his conclusion until a month later during the famous Apartment Scene. (Where he blames himself, completely unaware of the moth curse via great aunt).

But to wrap things up and return to the point, I don't know that Nancy Drew is a show with a ton of noticeable camera work in every episode. Or maybe it's just that I've only recently started paying attention to it. I'm no expert lol, but I will say 3x13 is a very standout episode.

Another good 3x13 example is after the car crash. How the camera goes low to show Temperance towering over Nancy. Temperance is powerful, and she is in control.

There's also the odd angle (a disoriented feeling after the crash combined with the realization this is not reality). That's in addition to the (not pictured) close-ups on Nancy's face. Getting close and personal highlights how distraught she is.

With Nancy Drew, if there's episodes with cool camera work, there's a good chance Larry Teng directed. Recently when I rewatched 1x17, I was all of ten seconds in when I realized it reminded me of 3x13. And no surprise! Larry Teng directed that one too.

So I feel like it's one thing to just film what's happening, but another entirely to use the camera to emphasize emotions/the story itself. 3x13 is just a perfect example of that, and that's interesting to me.

And if you made it to the end, hopefully this was interesting to you!

#nace #nancy drew cw #nancy drew #bethanyactually #flytheask #hello and welcome to the inside of my brain

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londonrih · 2 years

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Hey I have trying to get my friend into the rookie she fallen in with Chenford what are good chenford eps you would recommend ?

Ooooooou👀 okay some good chenford eps, I’d say:

Season 1:

1x06 - The Hawke (Lucy steals Tim’s money clip. They have a flirty moment at the end, “Maybe you should glove up…)

1x11 - Redwood (Over-protective Tim! Lucy gets stabbed with a rusty needle)

1x18 - Homefront (A little Chenford date at the end🙃)

1x19 - The Checklist ( Lucy has a checklist of 7 different arrests she has to make. Tim helps Lucy complete the checklist even if it does interfere with their hours.)

1x20 - Free Fall (Tim gets “infected” with a deadly virus, and Lucy stays next to him throughout the entire process, big moment.)

Season 2:

2x01 - Impact (A bit of a continuation to 1.20, + Chenford angst.)

2x02 - The Night General (Audiobook *I have nothing else to say*)

2x03 - The Bet (Kinda clear from the title.)

2x06 - Fallout (Drinks.Drinks.and drinks!!!)

2x08 - Clean Cut (Lucy sticking up for her man as she should😌)

2x10 - The Darkside (Whoo babyyyyy)

2x11 - Day of Death (Get the tissues ready)

2x12 - Now and Then (Tim’s speech killed me, I’m not in my feels.)

2x13 - Follow-Up Day (“I haven’t finished training you yet.”)

2x14 - Casualties (“Some things matter more.”)

Season 3:

3x01 - Consequences (SO MANY DIFFERENT MOMENTS BETWEEN THEM, they’re insane. And also overprotective Tim era makes a reappearance.)

3x06 - Revelations (Lucy goes undercover and Tim ain’t here for it.)

3x07 - True Crime (hilarious chenford moments, this is a true crime heavy episode though.)

3x08 - Bad Blood (Lucy teasing Tim.)

3x09 - Amber (HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH I’m still hurt, thanks Lucy.)

3x11 - New Blood (Jealously, Jealously!!!)

3x14 - Threshold (So. Many. Moments. Omg. Screaming internally)

Season 4:

4x01 - Life and Death (This one’s gonna hurt just a warning. Big chenford moment.😉)

4x02 - Five Minutes (Lucy being a proud wife!!! She’s so happy for Tim *makes a crow noise*)

4x03 - In the Line of Fire (It’s basically Tim and Lucy missing each other without admitting it, idiots… in love, of course.)

4x05 - A.C.H (AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA UNWELL!!)

(Brace yourself this is where it gets a little….bumpy.)

4x06 - Poetic Justice (Chenford bet!! YAYY! What’s not yay?? uhm…unexpected guest.)

4x07 - Fire Fight (A little bit of Tim being shirtless in front of Lucy.😏)

(You’re gonna cry with these two.)

4x08 - Hit and Run (I warned you.)

4x09 - Breakdown (it’s named that because you’re literally gonna have a breakdown, whooo baby.)

(EUUEEHHSEHEHWHWJWJA….)

4x10 - Heart Beat (the unexpected guest comes back, and she brings a friend, and he’s a jerk! But, Lucy wasn’t subtle looking at Tim across the bullpen blushing and all, *go get ya man, oh…too late.*)

4x11 - EndGame (Chenford and Tamara, Lucy calling the jerk a clown, cause he’s an idiot💀)

4x12 - The Knock (😂😂😂😂no comment)

4x16 - Real Crime (Aaron centric BUT! Funny chenford moments, another true crime episode.)

4x18 - Backstabbers (AHAHAHAHJAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!! Unwell!!)

4x19 - Simone (Backdoor pilot, heavy Nolan/ Simone Clark (love her!) but also one funny chenford moment, a subtle look & and an aweeeeee moment.)

You’re all caught up, 4x21, is gonna be something. 💀 good luck watching that promo.

#Chenford episode recommendations

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deaneverafter · 1 year

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Super Foxes

In all honesty, I do have thoughts, and most of them are, what is happening here?

Beau and Jenny getting sent off on separate cases when they need each other the most, it's just sad and cruel 😭💔 Them not letting Beau be there for when she's hurt, emotionally and physically, unfair to both of them. Making him get tangled up with irrelevant blah blah, for no reason than to revolve him, a season main character, around guest characters..... rude. Imagine making your main relationship have only one scene in an episode, just to waste time on irrelevant character's blah blah 😡😒

My poor guy literally sitting guard, I love him so much, and he deserves better that Carla and Emily 🥺💟 Emily needs to..... stop. Just stop. Let Carla in more?? So she could use that information and his feelings and trauma against Beau even more? I think not. She needs to stop sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong, talking about things she has no idea about 😒 And contrary to popular belief, forcing people to discuss their trauma before their ready, is not helpful. Talking to you, Emily McCallister 😒 Since she loves Avery so much, she should definitely ask him to protect you, not Beau, leave him alone. Like, go back to her real dad, who she actually enjoys spending time with, whose every behaviour she has an excuse for, while Beau merely existing is a capital crime. Also, on top of all the blaming for the divorce, complaining about Randy, making him feel bad for not sharing, at the ending, when Denise says your dad won't let anything happen to you, and she made that face and said "can we talk about something else?" It's so shady, it's rude. And it's not the first time, in 3x01, when Sunny said "he sounds like a good dad", she had the same reaction. He's literally going after cartel people, on no sleep, to protect her. He's putting his life in danger. And this ingrate is like "ugh, he's the worst. I love Avery so much, uwu". And don't think I missed her reaction when Beau said he didn't know what Carla sees in Avery. Meaning Emily does. In her mind, abandoning Beau for grieving and getting hitched with Avery right away, 10/10 excellent move on Carla's part. Anyway, forcing people to talk about things they're not ready to can actually be quite harmful 😢 And it's just disrespectful to make someone feel bad for how they choose to grieve, so there's that too. And that conversation with Emily did nothing but make Beau unfairly punish himself more. First, she took Avery's side, even though Beau is literally putting his life in danger because of Avery, and because of Emily and Carla. Like, yes, Avery messed up, but let's not act like Carla has no culpability. And then, she brought up Randy, even though she knows it's hard for him. THEN she blamed him for the divorce. Like? What is wrong with her.? Clearly she thinks of Avery more as her dad than she ever has Beau, or she wouldn't be defending him, after people died, Beau is having to put his life in danger because of Avery's actions and Carla dragging him into it. But this isn't a surprise to me frankly.

Beau predicting the bad guy's move and that spin was hawt 🥰❤ as was Beau being angry 🥰👀 The only complaint I have is that Beau's anger is wasted on being on Emily and Carla's behalf 🙄🙄 They don't deserve his time or help or concern.

People saying "how dare Avery call them *his* family?! 😡", forgetting that Avery dares because not just Carla, but also Emily, treats Avery more like family than they ever have Beau. Which is just another reason Beau will always deserve better than them ☕ And the reason Avery saying that struck such a nerve with Beau is because in his heart he knows that Emily and Carla never loved him, still don't care about him, are okay to use him as a human shield to protect Avery and their family, love Avery unlike him. Not just Carla, but also Emily, treats Avery more like family than they ever have Beau. Which is just another reason Beau will always deserve better than them ☕

Beau and Jenny both risking their lives for people who don't care about them, constantly betray them, just because both of them are that good, loyal and loving, it's just one more reason they belong together 🥺 My heart broke for Jenny when I thought Gigi really said better you than me, after Jenny came to rescue her and even was ready to throw the game. Jenny doesn't deserve that, to be betrayed and hurt over and over again. But hey, at least that particular move was a ruse, Gigi at least cares if Jenny lives or dies, which is more than can be said about Emily and Carla's feelings about Beau. All they care about is themselves and their perfect life with Avery 😒 Another sad thing, on top of the fact that Jenny needed Beau there, and he got shipped off is that the story with Gigi and the cult was so creepy! Only it got ruined for me when Beau got cut out to go have a subplot of being put down for the whole episode 😢 He'd promised they'd fix it together, she deserved to have him there, and he deserved to show her how much he cares. Jenny and Cassie, they're family, always will be, and their moments were sweet 🥺💛

Full offense, but it's sickening how the narrative is blaming Beau for grieving. I hate this so much 😡 It's Carla who spent their marrige being mean, left him when he was grieving in a matter of weeks, divorced him, met and married a new guy within a year, uprooted everyone, forced Beau to leave behind what support he did have left, and continues to put Beau down. SHE failed their marriage, not Beau, and he deserves to learn that. I'm not even exaggerating right now, if Carla and her behaviour has seriously gotten it ingrained in Beau that his partner dying on the job was his fault, that grieving meant he deserved to be thrown out like trash, this is serious gaslighting and toxicity. And if the writers are willing to show this, show this storyline and behaviour, which they clearly are, it deserved to be treated with more respect and care. Grieving does not make you evil, it doesn't mean you deserve to be punished. Which is unfortunately what it's coming across as at the moment, and I can only hope that they can fix this by showing Beau actually letting go of this unfair guilt and blame (though that's looking unlikely, if we're wasting the next two episodes on Emily). Even the language points to the fact that this is manipulation. "I wasn't there for you. And I wasn't there for Emily." HE WAS GRIEVING! It wasn't his job to be there, for once he was the one who needed support and instead they left him, made him feel like he was wrong for grieving and needing support. And then Carla had the nerve to say "I forgive you". She should be begging for his forgiveness for abandoning him! "I forgive you", this is how abusers convince victims they deserve the abuse and then that the abuser is so benevolent by "forgiving". The Stockholm Syndrome vibes are too real. And I think it's important to realize that Carla hasn't suddenly realized the error of her ways. She's still manipulating him, saying things like I forgive you (as in, it WAS your fault), she's just not spitting explicit venom with every word because she needs Beau to be a human shield for her and Avery and Emily (though that one Beau would do anyway). And people be like, oh, maybe Carla was there for him for SO LONG. Considering that Carla had divorced Beau, met and married a new guy, and moved across the country after a year of Randy dying, she really couldn't have tried THAT hard to help Beau or be there for him. She would've left Beau mere weeks after Randy died. She'd decided within this time that he had already been grieving too much for too long. Things got very difficult for Beau after he lost his partner. But Carla wasn't there to witness that or have that affect her. All she did is contribute to his existing trauma, and manipulate him into feeling worse, into believing that she was the victim.

The way Beau is still here having concern for this woman who abandoned him, it shows the kind of man he is (better than she deserves). But it does not mean that he's in love with her, we've seen the opposite, and it doesn't mean he should go back to an abusive marriage. Plus, Emily went and confirmed Carla is a gold digger, so there's that too..... ☕ Plus, Carla has been hanging off of Beau (while still demeaning him), not because she loves him but she wants to make sure he never moves on, so he comes running whenever she needs, sacrifices everything of his own, never has his own life. And she's been cozying up to Beau, even though she's still married to Avery, the "fight" happened just a week ago... tell me she wasn't involved and cheating while married to Beau. Anyway, Beau deserves better than to be treated like trash, victim blamed, and then to be sent back to someone who only sees him as a backup choice. And also, why did Beau look like he was being held at gunpoint to say that cursed line? He wasn't even looking Carla in the eye. Maybe it's just the utter absence of chemistry between these two characters, but I think it was a deliberate choice. Considering everything in the season, having seen Beau's feelings for Jenny at their clearest last episode, there's just no way it makes sense for the chat with the evil ex to be a romantic and not familial thing. It doesn't follow from what we've seen. Big Sky TV, there's still time to not send Beau back to an abusive marriage (and ruin his whole story). Just saying.... It almost reads like he's stuck because of how they manipulated him, made him feel like the villain for grieving, punished him by leaving, and because of that, he's erroneously equated forgiveness with things going back to how they were. And that that's why he's forcing himself this way, saying this, doing everything they want, etc. Which is very sad. Especially when he doesn't need forgiveness from them. An actual interesting arc would've been him realizing that, healing and moving on...... but alas, that would require paying attention to the main characters, and not revolving everything around Emily and Carla. It's giving very "Yes, I love all the characters!. Carla. Emily. Emily. Carla. Emily. Carla. Carla. Carla. Emily. Denise. Poppernak. Cassie. Emily. Carla. Carla. Carla. Sunny. Carla. Carla. Donno. Tonya. Carla. Cormac. *looks at smudged writing on hand* Bob and John." vibes. I don't know, maybe a more appropriate title than Deadly Trails might have been Big Sky: The McCallisters take Montana, starring Carla, Emily and Avery 🙄 The main characters whomst, Jenny and Beau, we don't know them. The universe revolves around these three 🙃

What I also hate about this a lot is that the relationship Beau has with Carla and Emily is written as abusive. They're cruel and condescending to him, Carla gaslights and manipulates him. It's just not being acknowledged as such and that's messed up. Like, I really don't think in this time and place, we need a story where a good man, a good human, who does nothing but help people, protect them, is punished and blamed for having emotions or sent back to an abusive family. Abuse is abuse regardless of who the target is 😔 I can't believe we're in the year 2023, and abusive family dynamics are being glorified, when a much healthier and interesting story would've been Beau actually realizing that his daughter and ex are toxic and standing up for himself, and healing. They made Beau have a revelation that you can't run after people who don't love you, every relationship has to be a two-way street, even blood, maybe especially blood. And then made him revolve around the two people in this world who care about him the least, treat him the worst 😡

THE HUGG 🥰🥰🥰🥰 Literally the only part in the episode that didn't feel ooc and sad. Jenny's whispered "thanks for being here" and Beau's "try and stop me"

🥺🥰💓💕 They love each other so much, I wish they'd take the story where it should be and let them be happy together 😔

And also, as far as the overarching story and episode goes, I need Beau and Jenny to have a heart to heart so she can tell him he wasn't wrong for needing to grieve Randy, that needing time didn't mean he deserved to be abandoned in the span of a few weeks, that he doesn't need anyone's forgiveness but his own 🥺💔 And when do we get a scene of Jenny telling Beau about what happened with Gigi and Beau telling Jenny about what he's been dealing with with the theft? 🥺 They're each other's safe place, I think the sheriff partners need to talk it out and we need cute scenes of them 💕

Realistically speaking, however, I really can't fathom, if this is going where it seems to be going, they're going to screw over both Jenny and Beau? Screw over their lead a third time.? While also screwing over a season main character? Jenny Hoyt deserves better than that, to be left behind a third time. And Beau deserves better than this mess, it'd be so ooc. He'd never spend all season getting closer to Jenny the way he has if he had feelings for the crazy ex. And, it would break the narrative so hard, in none of their scenes together, does Beau look or act in love. Sad, insulted, demeaned. Not in love, though. And then there's the vaccum of zero chemistry, it just makes no sense to send him back with Carla. His chemistry, his story, the trust and partnership and happiness, that's all there with Jenny. Ripping that apart, it's cruel to Jenny and to Beau, it's unfair to Beau as a character, and it's disrespectful to Jensen and Katheryn, who've spent all season building this relationship, making the dynamic between Beau and Jenny real, trusting, complex.

In conclusion, I don't know what's happening here.

#Beau Arlen #Jenny Hoyt #Jensen Ackles #Katheryn Winnick #Big Sky #Big Sky: Deadly Trails #Big Sky State of Mind

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tenisperfection · 2 years

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Eddie’s little pause before he says “Thank you for not giving up” in 3x03 is everything to me.

The scene in 3x01 with Buck, Eddie, and Chris and the one here are nice bookends to the tsunami arc: in both cases, Eddie drops Christopher off with Buck, and both times they have the intent (and outcome) of cheering Buck up. The scene after the tsunami is pivotal to their relationship and the show itself in many ways; it contains one of the main themes of the show in how we all want to be seen and be found more than anything else, and how someone can save you just by their words.

Not only is this conversation important for Eddie (we obviously know how important it is for Buck), as has been discussed so many times before, the show makes it a point to indicate this even if Eddie’s entire demeanor during the scene is casual until he tells Buck the few choice words. He’s also confident throughout the scene, knows exactly what he wants to say, and there is zero hesitation whatever Buck throws at him. All this doesn’t necessarily imply that this conversation is casual to him; if anything, it shows how much trust he has in Buck and how convinced he is of everything he says. But that last moment when he leaves, when he pauses by the door and says “And…um..thank you for not giving up” shows us that apart from choosing to convey to Buck how they’re completely, totally okay after the tsunami, he possibly knows that their relationship has become even more tight-knit, their bonds so much more significant now that Chris and Buck have gone through this life-altering event together. This entire conversation has been an admittance of truth, a confession that both showcases the growth of their relationship and further strengthens it, and that little pause betrays this very well.

It’s so significant for the reasons Eddie voices: Buck didn’t give up, Buck loves Christopher enough to never stop trying, the same way that Eddie does. Eddie literally said all of this in this one conversation, and I believe that even if he reached a place quickly where he accepted this, the realization of Buck’s place in their lives—of the extent of Buck’s love and sacrifice for them—shook him. I’m sure Eddie felt a lot of this after Stuck, where Buck helps him and Christopher freely and with none of the judgement Eddie usually gets, but the tsunami? Eddie was at the scene and knows exactly the effort Buck must have put into finding Chris and the extent to which he’d stretched himself while on blood thinners. I like to think he spent a moment with that realization that Buck loves Christopher enough to sacrifice himself to keep him safe, in exactly the same way Eddie himself would. I like to think he felt a moment of peace after that realization—among several other emotions he no doubt felt—that even amidst all the things Eddie is still processing, he now has a partner in Buck, and he and Chris have a home in Buck too.

Once Eddie’s realized this, he of course wastes no time telling Buck exactly how much he means to their little family. It comes back to that little pause at the end there—when he’s talking about Buck not giving up as so many people in his life have in one way or another—that we get hit with the extent to what this means to Eddie, because the scene is so focused on Buck’s POV until that point. It might be completely subjective but until we see Eddie’s slow and almost hesitant movement before he says “Thank you for not giving up”, and until we hear the words and the pause before it, we’re primarily thinking of Eddie’s kindness and his love for Buck because that’s obviously at the forefront of the scene. That little pause though, that gives us time to shift the focus back to Eddie and remember what this man has gone through and what it means for him to get here to a place where he has a person who hasn’t given up on Christopher or on Eddie. This little pause and this conversation colors so many of their interactions from this point onwards: the anger Eddie feels during the lawsuit, his whole demeanor during Abby’s reappearance, the will…this scene is so pivotal to their relationship because in many ways, it’s where their relationship fully transitions into the family unit that began in Stuck.

#yes it’s another tsunami meta because i live here in this scene #i have no idea if any of this is remotely coherent lol so let me know if i spouted some garbage out #i have many many thoughts about this in relation to abby’s reappearance and the will as i mentioned but this was long enough as it is #but i firmly believe this scene combined with the first bookend in 3x01 are like…a buddie begins of sorts #or more like a: buckley-diaz family begins if you will #again i ask the writers: tell me your plans in s2 because stuck is very much the precursor to this!!!!!#anyway i figured i haven’t been unhinged in a couple of days so here have this #buddie #911 fox #tsunami meta #because apparently that’s a tag i use now

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redxblueihateloveyou · 3 years

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Omg thank you so much for your posts about rinharu!! :"")) I was one of those people who were like "why are rinharu fighting again?? Did kyoani purposely seperate them /again/ just for the sake of drama ?? (And so that they have more oppurtunities to showcase other ships??)" I was really irked at first cuz i thought the first part of TFS is finally going to be a movie about rinharu being a powercouple, but! After reading your posts i realised that haru never really moved on from rin leaving, even in S3 the reason why hiyori's words affected him was because he thought he caused rin to leave (and by extension ikuya, but lbr haru wasn't as frustrated with ikuya nearly as much as he was with rin right) so i'm just here to say.. thank you so much for opening my eyes!!! Now i'm really looking forward to the second part!!

Awww no problem <3 tbh I've always said that free is one of those that has so many nuances left bts that it's sometimes confusing for those who aren't as invested I think. Like there's so many important things that are left out and are in additional materials, that some has no idea what's going on at times. Like back in the days when some interpreted s2 in the opposite way bc of that one thing. My point is that not everyone is even watches stuff like recaps for example (where there are in fact new easter eggs and so many important things like Rin's dad death aftermath etc), and even less read novels and checked side stories and dramas.

For example, in books this Haru's issue about him thinking he's cursed and hurts everyone with his swimming is a huge thing, when Asahi "lost his ability to swim" after seeing Haru's free. But in SD it wasn't adressed at all tbh.

And what Haru feels for Rin is such tornado of emotions, that surprised even me with all the descriptions, bc like it's real bad. Like that part I posted from the chapter when Rin leaves is at least understandable, since he leaves. But the way he reacts to him in general even when he just appears in his sight is always described as if someone tortures him for real lol. And he's always like "pls someone save me, I don't know how to deal with this, bc I've never felt such emotions before".

So basically, like yeah, he's as it is has this thing, when he thinks of himself as some bad omen, so he's very sensitive about it, but since everything Rin-related feels x100000000 for him, its just... well, it hurt for a very long time and sadly was just overlooked by a certain someone, so here we are.

I think we all at first believed that bc Rin's so shocked and in disbelief that Haru could even think that it was his fault in some way:

that maybe they talked about it bts or smth like after the relay. But it seems like Rin either forgot or most likely I think he maybe thought that Haru understood without words? I'm just real sad still that Haru didn't get to hear this speech:

I mean, they made it look by the end of s1 that it was about relay, which partially yeah, but for Rin it was really about Haru. You see what he said.. he said that that 1x02 race with Haru alone.. what made him want to swim again. This whole speech was not only about the fact that Haru wasn't at fault that he quit swimming in the first place, but about the fact that Haru is his lucky charm, that makes everything better. AND WE DIDN'T EVEN GET TO HEAR THAT. So like for Haru it's to this day like "after I messed him up, Rin was saved with the power of friendship and a relay". But he was saved by Haru really. Bc according to s3 info, it was basically just about Haru being on the relay team. I don't try to demean their friendships or anything, but its just what it is.

And as I've said before in one post it's just fascinating that to this day Rin for example thinks that s1 shananigans were just about him and just his problem:

Haru thought it was about them and their problem:

So like my point here is I also up to the end of s2 thought that maybe Rei or Rin told that to him, bc we seemed to move on to another problems, until in Kizuna we were shown that he still dreams about that scene of Rin leaving. s3 Hiyori just exposed the wound really.

But also once again see what he said there, it's not just about that one time he keeps reliving, aka his first come back, its really just about each time Rin was leaving. Like the very first one already was bad, the second was the worst, bc he thought he hurt him and thought that bc of him he quit swimming, others are just painful bc by then it was already another kind of feeling. I mean, I do think that this first Rin's return to Australia thing needs to be cleared up since it's obviously still haunting him. But again it's just part of this. Haru after the Australian trip and "I've always admired you" and "without you I have nothing to aim for" and after TYM goodbye when Rin told him that he doesn't need a surprise party and that just swimming with Haru before leaving is the greastest surprise for him, he knows already about the way Rin feels about swimming with him... I think the reason why everyone is freaking out here is that bc the way it's executed it's just really about him constantly missing him and "why am I always have to longingly watch you leave, while you seem fine." If he was in a free race, but wasn't on a relay team, he'd get the same reaction. Its just all seasons combined that brought us here. We already in 3x01 without Hiyori knew that he wasn't handling Rin being far away again good. So tbh it's logical even without any explanation really. I mean, Rin does indeed leave and come back as he pleases and does what he wants without holding back or sometimes thinking about consequences. There's no lie here.

It's like since the beginning for Rin it was like "I found the gorgeous guy I adore and I want to swim with, I'll transfer schools just to nag him into swimming with me, it's not like he's gonna care if I leave after that." (he literally in the book didn't think it was a big deal)

For Haru it was like "I lived just fine, but this guy stormed into my life, made me want things I didn't think I'd ever want, got me addicted to him and then dropped me like a hot potato".

Rin's just very passionate about life and things he wants, like Haru for example, but he's really also very unobservant and very clueless at times.

But like just bc he doesn't know about Haru's existential crisis and all the pain he's truly in when he's leaving, doesn't change the fact that he at times didn't even treat him as a simple friend (because they can't be just friends I KNOW), but still things like "you could've called" "well sorry, I guess I'm just not good at it" are probably hurtful, considering the fact that you are good at it with everyone else tho, Rin sweetie. Like thanks for avoiding us the most and holding back and visiting us the last each time, we feel real special. Haru is like the opposite, he doesn't call anyone for example, but he can call Rin in the middle of the night if needed, he always does for Rin smth that's completely out of his comfort zone.

It's like some say "Rin didn't know he wanted him to call" or "he didn't know Haru felt guilty". He did know he wanted him to call and he didn't know Haru felt guilty and stopped swimming competitively when he stopped swimming, but then Rei told him and Natsuya in 3x03 reminded him about this too. Its just the fact that he doesn't want to add 1+1 and thinks "well, there's no way I can affect Haru like that right?", "he can't be that upset about Rin Matsuoka, right?". While facts are he IS literally the only one who affects Haru in such huge way. It's like everyone else can just pass him by and it's nothing, but he walks by and it's a whole "asdfghgfdsa why my body is on fire, its just Rin who's just standing there".

And I'm also buffled by this thing that some people really say stuff like "where did this come from, they were perfectly fine" etc, as if they ever had normal "friendship" relationship. I'm like when did they ever behave themselves okay? In 3x03 Rin is dying to call Haru, but can't do it, while he's constantly texting everyone including Nagisa. First thing he says in the airport when he comes back is "I'm home, Haru" to air, but then goes to hang out with Makoto and Sousuke, desperately looking for an excuse to see the one whom he from the beginning, as it was shown wanted to see the most, but in his opinion can’t without a reason. It's only when Makoto tells him that Haru was upset about Albert he quickly rans off out of there bc "hooray, I have an excuse to see my bae”. Like we know from the airport scene that he wanted to see Haru the most. If they're so as people say were doing great, than how do you exlain all of their s2 and s3 behavior for real? It's like as if in TYM Haru didn't lose his shit from some gossip about persimmons. I mean, they never settled anything really. And Haru is constantly scared of Rin leaving again since forever.

So it's complicated, but yes, we're super excited for p2, bc asdfghjhgfds.

#answered #anonymous #rinharu #harurin #free! the final stroke #free!#rin matsuoka #nanase haruka

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0aurelion-sol0 · 3 years

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Okay. So wait...

I'm probably going way too far with this, far more than I should but I don't care. And I AM NOT JOKING.

@kaypeace21 @hawkinsschoolcounselor and @strangertheory this is for you and all the gay frog lovers! As ridiculous as this may sound, there is a lot more to dig there!

And don't take the word "frog" as something ridiculous as there is alot of connection with it.

youtube

When Dustin presents Dart to the party in season 2 episode 3: The Pollywog, he explains what he found.

Max and Lucas touches it but are disgusted by it. Including Will... But Mike isn't disgusted at all, he is even interested and asks what it is and Dustin wonders the same while Mike is studying it. But than...

Dustin pulls books about frogs, toads and reptiles.

Dustin thought it was a pollywog, which is a larvae stage for toads. But he found out that it was not that.

We know that this is a larvae that Will vomited in his bathroom. And right after that Will has some flashes of The Upside Down. That same larvae who will grow into Demodogs and possibly Demogorgons which were controlled by the Mindflayer.

The same Mindflayer who always seems to take action everytime something happens to Will, especially when Mike is around like in 3x01 during the movie scene and they both look at each other's lips or at Weathertop when Mike and El leaves the Party before they install Cerebro.

If we take all of this very seriously, everything fits. Mike is interested in something that was paralleled to him. Mike who was called "frogface" in the very first episode of ST. Slept on a frog pillow in Will's room with a frog plushie in the same room in season 2. The season which is Byler centric and where Mike spends most of his time with Will.

Since Mike isn't disgusted by Dart like all the others, Mike is subconsciously/or at least in terms "meta writing" interested in this possible "gay frog" part of him and Will because during this same season, he bonds a lot with Will, takes care and protect him.

The same Will who is targeted by homophobic attacks from bullies at school and his dad and who vomited this "frog like creature".

The same Will who just like him plays D&D to escape his own personal issue and what does Mike now that Will is gone ? He joins a D&D club.

(Even Dart is happy someone isn't throwing all over the place and is examining Mike like "Is this my cousin ?".)

In 2x02, when Will has one of his flashes to the Upside Down. He calls out for Mike. And who responds...

The Demodogs larvae that are the same as Dart. (look at the video above towards the end.)

All that before the Mindflayers reveals himself again.

Dart who in his relationship with Dustin has a lot of parallel with Mike and El's relationship in season 1. @kaypeace21 made a post about that that you can find here. Finn also described, in an interview, Eleven as Mike's puppy in season 1 which is kind of the same thing with Dustin and Dart.

El in season 2 when she comes out of the gate through the Upside Down ressembles what Dart does when he goes into another stage. Which Mike notices. He is slimy like the gate that leads to the Upside Down.

El who paralleled all the scenes that have a connection with Will & Dart or The Mindflayer.

The same El who had shaved hair and was said to look like a boy and could be taken for Will. Mike also kisses her in the bathroom (the same place Will vomits Dart.). I repeat Mike kisses someone who for most people looked like a boy and could've been taken for Will.

The same El who was thrown into a closet and has a flashback to her crying out "Papa" because she wasn't able to do experiences like killing a cat, a literal puppy. Dart will also kill the cat of Dustin's mom.

In the same place, there is a room called "Rainbow Room". At the same time Mike has a "talk" with Karen, his mother. Which was an extremely queer-coded scene if you look at it in a certain perspective.

Mike and El who also parallels Steve and Robin with "The First I love You" and the mall, Will's room and toilet scene that both pairing have.

Both having a talk about their relationship and Robin says she isn't into Steve because she likes girls and that he was misinterpreting what she was saying which is similar Mike who isn't able to communicate his feelings properly, lied to El for no particular reason and who during the same season was called out for treating El like a pet, you know... like Dustin did with Dart.

Mike who at the end of season 3 has his eyes open while El is kissing him IN FRONT OF AN OPEN CLOSET and not remembering that he said he loved her while also 2 minutes before saying that he was mad at her because she spied on him and throws it on Max, saying it was her fault, the same girl he hated because he thought she was annoying because they didn't need another party member and doesn't understand why Lucas and Dustin has a crush on her while the guy kissed El when he only knew her for a FEW days.

Steve who says that Tammy sings like a muppet and Robin says that Steve SOUNDS like a muppet. Mike also sings a song (like a muppet) to Eleven that she doesn't like called "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon which is about a childhood friendship growing into something more, Mike who taked El's hand off his face to sing that song while a drawing of Will is hanging in the background. A song that doesn't work for Mike and El since they are not childhood friends and got together only a few days after knowing each other. One of the lyrics even goes: "It's time to bring this ship into the shore"

The Muppets's main mascot is Kermit The Frog who sings a song called The Rainbow Connection. There's a lyrics that is about: "Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?"

Rainbows that are present in the lab with the Rainbow Room. Terry's dream.

But also Mike's room is full of Will's drawings that are what ?! FULL OF FUCKING RAINBOWS!!!!!!! Will has even drawn a "rainbow ship."

What else is related to a ship in Stranger Things ?

Scoops Ahoy!

Whose logo has a boat anchor and the term Ahoy which is used by sailors to signal or call to a ship or boat.

Where Steve and Robin both work. Robin who is a canonical lesbian character.

Steve and Robin who both develop a frienship with Dustin. Dustin and Steve who went to kill the Demodog and Dart with a baseball bat which is a symbol for abused victims/ abusive family figures or people trying to put a tough macho act. The same Dustin who was searching for "non-aquatic" pollywogs and for that goes to the library to find books and has to go through Marissa.

Marissa which means "of the sea". Who was referenced by Will in the Stranger Things comics where we follow Will through the Upside Down in season 1.

Will and Mike who were both in the library at that time, the same library...

...where the Demogorgon takes Will to have a tentacle put in his mouth who will give him the Demodogs larvaes that will later grow into the creatures like Dart. Who was taken by Dustin as the larvae stage of a toad.

In that moment, Will and Mike are talking about the next campaign and how Will wants Will The Wise to live forever. Mike also complains about his mom wanting to share their feelings which he doesn't like. Kinda like their talk after he puts El in the closet.

Which also parallels the ending of Season 3, where Hopper's speech aligns perfectly with what Mike and Will are going through. "Heroes" is also playing in the background which was played when Mike thought Will died and he was crying while hugging his mother which is the same thing happening here.

One of the lyrics goes "I, I wish I could swim, Like dolphins, Like dolphins can swim"

Which is also a direct contrast with the song in 1x08, when Hopper and Joyce saves Will. Moby's "When It's Cold, I'd Like to Die".

"I don't want to swim the ocean,

I don't want to fight the tide,

I don't want to swim forever,"

In the Upside Down, Will imagines the Upside Down as this other world where HE is Will The Wise to fight the Demogorgon but looses and is than taken by him. At the same time, he remembers this moment with Mike.

Than the Demogorgon takes him and does what he does to him and right after that...

...the Mindflayer appears and these six pages parallels each other.

As @strangerthings4theories putted here, The Upside Down is symbolized or represented by water. For example, The Demogorgon was also said to look like a shark by Nancy.

Yet Dart didn't need water as there is no water in The Upside Down where he comes from yet it looks and feel like a deep underwater dimension. (we're gonna go back to this.)

If we believe that somehow the Mindflayer and The Upside Down were a creation of Will's brain or mind and all of it's psychological trauma. It all makes sense.

Dart is the representation of the internalised homophobia of Will and his own homosexuality just like El who looked like Will, is an acceptable partner for Mike to be with. Will literally vomits it because he hates the fact that he might be gay because it might prove that all of what his father and bullies said was true. And he finds it disgusting like all the others. It takes the form of something close to a frog because he has feelings for Mike, Mike who was called "frogface" by bullies. And that's why he has frog plushie, because he associates his feelings for Mike with that because of the bullies. Because just like him, he relates to something like that. Because he only sees homosexuality as something negative.

The fact that Mike is interested compared to all the others makes also sense because if he is into Will, that representation of his homosexuality and internalised homophobia interests him because not only does it speaks to him subconsciously/or at least in terms of "meta writing" again because he also has the same issue (because Dustin and Dart reminds of El, El who subconsciously reminded him of Will. ). And since it's during season 2, the Byler centric season, Mike bonds a lot with Will and wants to take care of him so that feeling is reinforced.

In the song Heroes, there is a lyric that says:

"And the shame, the shame was on the other side".

As in the feeling of guilt and "wrongness" will not be in The Upside Down "the other side", this representation of Will's insecurities and trauma but on the people who inflicted homophobia on them.

If Heroes is a song about them, than it could be from the POV of Mike because he defended Will over such a topic and would have literally jumped to save Dustin into the quarry where Will's fake body was found where Heroes played when Will's fake body was found. And where he flew like a "fairy", just like what the bullies called Will.

So how can we explain that the Upside Down is represented by water ?

Well in Will's room, there is a poster of the film "Jaws". You can find what the movie is about here.

Which was used as an inspiration for one of the posters for season 1. And the Demogorgon was compared to a shark and if the Upside Down is the result of his mind, fiction might influence the look of the world and it's creatures.

_____________________________

And I know all of this started from gay frogs jokes but considering it's so prevalent in the show and that it has literally so many connections with other elements in the show.

I don't think it's a coincidence.

And as Kermit The Frog said, maybe we will find it, one day. The connection that makes it all make even more sense than it already does. "The Rainbow Connection".

youtube

And I mean, people were able to create Byler metas with New Coke, Skittles and fucking food.

I can do it with fucking gay frogs.

But now I need a fucking break...

And I legit passed from what the fuck is going on to this thing is fucking legit...

Ugh...

#byler #byeler #will x mike #mike x will #mike wheeler is gay #will byers is gay #robin buckley #robin buckley is a lesbian #steve harrington

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loverboyromanroy · 2 years

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honestly I'm pretty pessimistic about the line in the sand thing and am 99% sure it's going to be devasting, BUT I just keep thinking that a wedding is a very public place, roman's emotions will already be running super high, and gerri needs allies right now. she would not jeopardize having him on her side right now - he's so, so loyal. and she's too smart to make a scene at a wedding by essentially breaking up with roman who will already be vulnerable and emotional with his mom getting married. I think the line in the sand thing must be more of an ultimatum. but I cannot think what that ultimatum could be.

oh i'm sure it'll be devastating! no matter which way it turns out! no happy endings after all...

but you hit on one of the things i've been turning over in my mind this week (and this whole season tbh) – roman's loyalty and capacity for real feelings/intimacy...i didn't mean for this answer to become a roman/gerri deep dive but it did so LOTS of words under the cut lmao

their relationship is something the show crafted so diligently (and honestly, lovingly) in season two and those remnants of care bleed over into the first couple episodes of season three – the hotel room convo in 3x01, his appeal to her to keep him around (and then asking for her advice!) in 3x02, the hanging around her office/laurie convos in 3x04. those are all fun, flirty, mostly light-hearted moments that are keeping in tone with their relationship as established in season two. the notable absence is in 3x03 – and even then when nothing major happens between them, there's still that moment of insight into their relationship (when logan calls him into his office, roman not only is heading straight for her, casting her a quick 'i guess i'll be right there?' look, but it also implies that he and gerri are frequently working together) that very intentionally shows that she is a part of his routine.

then we get this shift at the shareholder meeting – tensions are high, the company's on the line, and they have a minor fracture. gerri is saving face, saying what needs to be said to get the deal done, and it upsets roman! at the time, i said i found it interesting that she responds so earnestly to the curt way he calls her out. she apologizes sincerely (rare on this show) and when she sees that's not enough...she takes it a step further! she calls him out in her speech, calls him a visionary, gives him the call with the president! it's our way of picking up that she's real – she's not bullshittin, she's not going through the motions, she genuinely is a partner in this partnership. and even that small moment of roman physically moving greg away from her while she's working – that happens post-apology but before her speech! in theory he's still annoyed with her and it's such a small, genuine moment that says "even when we're at odds, even if i'm pissed off, i still have your back" (he literally gets greg off her back! fucking crazy!)

THEN the real gulf opens up – logan brings roman under his wing as the roys all go to republican prom and we're completely devoid of gerri. i think her absence just as logan starts to embrace him is completely intentional, because the outset of their partnership in 2x03 literally starts with the question "how do i get my dad to take me seriously?" and now in 3x06, we see that they've done it! together, roman and gerri have gotten roman to a point where logan takes him seriously!

but where do we go from here? where do they stand in terms of emotions? there isn't exactly a resolution in 3x05 (besides roman's bashful observation of gerri talking about him during her speech) and we haven't had a moment to gauge where they stand since.

as you said, he's super loyal to her. he went to bat hard for gerri in 2x10 and 3x01 and he's been, mostly, defending her ever since. but what does that loyalty look like in this new world where he's daddy's favorite? if gerri's two purposes were to help roman gain his dad's respect and emotionally fulfilling his need for approval from an authority figure, where does she fit in this new arena where he has that respect and approval from thee authority figure? what does he need or want from her now that he's got what he set out to get?

that's where i think the emotional appeal comes into play – maybe, in the high of all this new found success, he thinks they can really change their relationship from business to personal. it also would connect with this really out there comment from shiv in 3x07 about tabitha and intimacy:

shiv (teasing): okay. the relationship was fine sexually and you're loving the intimacy of it all? roman (sarcastically): yes. i love the intimacy. i love people really getting to know me.

first of all...what the fuck lmao. (like, so interesting that shiv tries to be like "roman you're so gross for talking about me having sex all the time" when she's the one who brings up sex in this conversation, but that's for another post, another time.) second of all...even as he's seemingly playing at the fact that he does not want intimacy, there is one person that does really know him, someone that he has been more intimate with than maybe anyone in his entire life? and earlier in the episode, when laurie is mentioned, we're reminded with a glance that roman is still hyperaware of gerri having an intimate relationship with someone else – i wouldn't say he's even jealous as much as just...wary! and maybe confused as to why she's still got this thing going with this guy.

i don't know what to think! in doing this deep dive and reconsidering where we've been this season, i start to lean towards the idea of roman thinking, foolishly, the only thing left to conquer is "a real relationship" and perhaps he thinks "well, i already have something going with gerri, so why not her?". it's something shiv has been holding over him all season to prove that she's a more well-rounded/respectable person, it's something he's expressed a desire for in his own fucked up way in the past, and, tragically, it just can not come to pass for a million reasons.

i think it checks all the boxes of being too much and too dangerous for gerri, crossing the boundaries she's established as being important, and creates an impasse in that if there's no promise of something deeper, and gerri has already solved his problem of not being taken seriously by his dad, why should he continue having an alliance with her at all?

#roman x gerri #roman roy #gerri kellman #succession chatter #succession spoilers #i promise i was gonna keep this short but i just...have a lot of thoughts and feelings

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chirpsythismorning · 4 months

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Fun fact: the shot of Mike stepping off the cliff in s1 was likely a visual parallel to Sarah jumping off the stairs in this shot from Labyrinth (1986).

For those that haven't read this theory, please do because I didn’t make these observations myself and the original post goes a lot deeper into the details from Labyrinth, which in some ways align a little too conveniently with the narrative we’re seeing unravel on the show with Mike over the seasons.

For some basic context, in s4, we even get a reference to M.C. Escher’s Relativity hanging on the wall in Mike’s room, which is also on the wall of Sarah’s bedroom, along with that work being what inspired the scene in Labyrinth.

This next part has actually been talked about before quite a bit in the fandom, even outside of tumblr, so it’s not exactly some breakthrough as a concept on its own.

Every season, in the first scene (re)introducing the main characters, Mike is running late in some capacity. In 1x01 it’s around 3 minutes, in 2x01 it’s around 6 minutes, in 3x01 it’s around 8 minutes, and in 4x01 it’s around 13 minutes.

So technically not the literal season opener, as that’s usually reserved to a flashback at some different location, but obviously still within those first 15 minutes, following directly after the opener…

And since we already have an idea of what the opening of s5 is going to be, what do we think the scene directly after it is going to be? You know, in the scene that Mike has been consistently running late in, for four seasons now?

Speaking of 15 minutes, I think that if they were to keep this trend going for the final season (the full circle-ness of it all is honestly too epic to pass up), it’s likely that this final time it will happen around the 15 minute mark of 5x01, as that would make the build up for it each season pretty consistent.

And not only that, but it would also literally be a callback to what Karen says to Mike that first time he’s late in s1:

And here’s my other favorite line from one of these scenes, in the context of this theory, because it literally acknowledges this concept directly and with this air of foreshadowing I cannot stress enough:

Interestingly, another detail that ties all these ‘Mike being late’ scenes together, is stairs.

In s1 he’s running up the stairs to convince his mom to let them keep playing.

In s2 he’s rushing down the stairs trying to avoid Nancy’s wrath.

In s3 he’s awkwardly bumping into strangers going down the escalator in Starcourt Mall.

And in s4 he’s hurrying down the stairs on his way to school.

The whole point of Labyrinth is that it’s an allegory for growing up, with Sarah going from dressing up as a princess to reenact one of her favorite fairytales after being chastised by her step-mom for not going on more dates like girls her age, to Sarah rejecting her childhood and it leading to an unfortunate series of events, forcing her to face reality and take responsibility of her own life.

Does this sound like anyone we know?

Mike, who starts the show in s1 playing DND animatedly with his friends before being interrupted by his mom to end the campaign despite protests, to his mom in s2 punishing his bad behavior by having him get rid of some of his favorite toys, to him in s3 insisting that they’re 'not kids anymore' and that it was inevitable for them to stop playing games and grow up and get girlfriends, to him now in s4 reverting back to this earlier version of himself, sporting the Hellfire shirt proudly, to then reverting back to pretending when showing up at the airport with Argyle calling his outfit a shitty knock off (aka calling Mike a shitty knock-off), and without the story ever acknowledging why those shifts happened in the first place, and with one season left?

Hint? Forced conformity. That’s what’s killing the kids. That’s the real monster.

They literally told us already that out of all the monster we've seen in the show, this is what is worse than all of that. Meaning that what is about to go down, most likely topping everything we've seen up to this point, is likely going to involve forced conformity.

I also think it’s interesting that the scene in Labyrinth happened during the climax of the film, because arguably if you were to watch Stranger Things in its entirety, from s1-5, the beginning of s5 is going to feel very much like the climax to the overall story.

Things are going to be happening fast. The stakes are insane because they need to top everything that they’ve done up to this point. Something’s gotta give. And Mike is just not looking safe out here guys.

I could go on and on about all the hints that Mike is danger, but I’ll just share my favorites.

How am I gonna survive a whole week without you guys? Mike says, at the tail end of his opening scene in s4, and with s5 set to start at the end of said week.

Mike sitting in front of an antique funeral home fan in the s4 promotional pictures of the party in the Creel attic.

Nancy saying she saw Mike die in the vision Vecna showed her, with the early stages of said vision coming true as season 4 nears its end.

Mike getting hit in the head with an arrow front and center by Suzie’s brother, in a sequence that was loaded with foreshadowing for the end of s4 (and beginning of s5?).

Watch out dominos. Your dominos are gonna fall. Argyle says, with Mike equally in the frame behind him.

Without heart, we’d all fall apart. Will says, after telling Mike he’s the heart.

A Karen lookalike standing in front of the missing person's board at the end of s4.

Mike’s very first line in the show (also the literal first line in the show) being A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you into the darkness. It is almost here…

So maybe, theoretically speaking, what we could get by that 15 minute mark going into s5, is Mike running late one last time, and it potentially being a callback to that cliff scene ie. Labyrinth.

Another scene that I think might've been foreshadowing what is currently going down, is Max and Mike both getting knocked out by Billy at the end of s3. Max goes down first and Mike follows right after, though Max is the first to come to and help them both up.

We know Max is unlikely to be separated from the rest of the characters the whole season, that’s just not feasible. She'll at least be on-screen despite maybe not being back with the others right away, even if it’s just a cryptic cliffhanger at the end of 5x01, followed by her returning more consistently on screen after that leading up to her rescue. With the way things ended in s4 though, we need to know where she’s at and get to finding her. Which is why I think at most it will be a 1-2 episode arc.

So maybe, this moment from s3 was a hint about Max and Mike’s impending doom at the hands of Vecna, as a result of not only their emotional states, but also their bonds with El, and them then being isolated for a short time (presumed dead), only to find their way back?

It’s also worth noting Mike was the only person to witness any of Max’s symptoms from the curse prior to her finding out about it, with the camera focusing on him beside her and looking at her worriedly as her nose bled. We don’t know who Vecna’s fourth victim was going to be, because Max threw herself in as bait, but could it have originally been Mike?

I know a lot of people don't like the Mike getting Vecna'd theories or Mike is depressed takes and so if you find yourself in that position, feel free to subtweet away or whatever you need to cope with my nonsense.

I'm not a big Mike is suicidal truther or anything even, nor do I think it makes sense for him to get Vecna'd in the traditional sense like how it happened with the others in s4 because the gates are open. But Vecna still hasn’t carried out his entire plan, a plan that includes Mike dying. And the imagery surrounding it all leading up to this is compelling regardless.

If one shot at the end of s3, with Max sitting in Billy's room while Hopper was in the background saying and yeah sometimes it's painful and sometimes it's sad was enough to hint at her whole depression arc in s4, then Mike being focused on for multiple shots while Hopper was in the background saying But, lately, I guess I've been feeling... distant from you. Like you're pulling away from me or something.-- And I guess, if I'm being really honest, that's what scares me. I don't want things to change, with Mike looking longingly at the Byers house, cutting to Will looking out the car window crying, then cutting back to Mike walking into his mom's arms with a dead stare on his face, has gotta be enough to justify dude going through some shit, which coincidentally matches up with everything talked about here.

Turns out getting to Mike, now that was the key…

Maybe the first episode of s5 is about Mike ending up wherever Max is, somewhere caught in between, and them ‘crawling’ back ie. The Crawl.

Definitely might add some context to that funkopop shot-listing video Ross posted, followed by one other photo a few days later with the caption being that they finished shot-listing for 5x01-5x02. Meaning the initial video posted was likely from 5x01...

#stranger things #mike wheeler #are they cool enough to pull this off?#remains to be seen #but why break a four season streak?#something something fifteen after #something something you’re late. again! we’re gonna miss the opening!#something something running up that hill and smalltown boy having almost the exact same fucking beat #also blankly staring at sadie and finn sitting close to each other in the s5 filming announcement pic #with finn being the only one out of all of them holding a script for the crawl 😀

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paper-cuts-and-fresh-bruises · 2 years

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Right, I’m gonna get right to it because I’ve been meaning to make this post like all day and I’ve been simmering in my thoughts for the past like two days on everything to do with 3x04 and the links with everything else this season, and as if I could kid myself I'm also going to be fangirling over Nace, so you know where this is going. Obligatory warning of possible long post, I would say spoiler warning but part of me thinks if you’re here you’ve already seen everything, but just in case, you can’t get mad at me so yeah, proceed at your own risk.

It was really interesting to see the way the sandman entity manifested the nightmares as dreams and then flipping the switch, but to jump to the chase because I mean what else is this site for, the dream/nightmare Nancy had with dream Ace knocked me off my feet for one, but then secondly I noticed something. In Nancy’s first nightmare where Jake is there and he speaks those words trott said, being “I’m a part of something much bigger, you’ll never understand”, I mean if you know then you know what happens to him by the end of the episode, which I mean that’s a bit cold hearted (yes I know I’ll show myself out) even for me who didn’t like him all that much. But anyways, then later on in the steamy dream turned nightmare Nancy has with Ace in it where he also says those words in it through trott’s voice, something I noticed was that Jake didn’t show any signs of ice/frost on his chest whereas Ace did, and yet who ended up with a hole in their chest where their heart used to be? yeah. Which I think should help keep us calm that it’s a manifestation that Nancy’s fear is that someone she really cares about in that way will get hurt because of her, not necessarily a death prediction, and in any case they’d probably only let it be a near death experience or otherwise they’d make sure he was able to be brought back, because I mean aside from there being no news that Alex wants to leave the show, nor any of the other cast for that matter, this is Nancy Drew, they just want us on our toes so they’re doing all the moves to keep us interested. (In general Temperance's cards shouldn’t entirely be taken too literally or seriously until they’re contextualised for now)

Also, to reiterate what I’ve said before and as others have said for this when it happened last season in 2x18, I am glad that in this second instance of a dreamscape experience with these two (being led by Nancy’s subconscious), Nancy and Ace haven’t actually kissed, specifically more so lips to lips type of kiss, because as much as my thirsty impatient ass wants it now, there’s a better payoff in the wait, truly a slow burn for the ages. Also, within the discussions had here, I firmly believe we’ll get a kiss from them in the finale or at least a very close almost kiss moment, which either way has them solidified as being aware of each other in that light to where they can go forward in the next season (which no doubt we’ll get, I have my fingers crossed) and navigate that together (also I so want George and Bess or at least either one of them to call it out in a sort of “finally!” moment or like either Ace or Nancy or even maybe both of them say “you knew?” in response to them knowing that they both had those feelings for one another etc.). Also, my confidence in them kissing this season is from the fact that (as I saw someone else say here) if they weren’t going to then they could’ve easily had Nancy and Ace kiss in the dream in 3x04 to bide us over, but they didn’t! which means they’re taking care to make sure that when it does actually happen, the payoff is actually there. Plus, the last episode of every season always has the important culminations of that season come together to be confronted.

Something to jump in here whilst I’m making this post is that Ace has been first on the scene coming to Nancy’s rescue (respectfully) three separate times now, even when the other’s in the drew crew were there in 3x01 and George was there in 3x03, Ace was in front running like hell to Nancy; and in particular with 3x04 not only was he running for his life to get to Nancy but you could tell that when Nancy didn’t pick up when he called that he immediately feared the worst, because he didn't at least somewhat calmly get through the door, then notice Nancy was trying to set herself on fire and rush to blow the match out, oh no no no, our boy was already in sprint mode, and I just love that because it’s such a loud way to say they have some juicy stuff lined up.

Also, something to note is the way Nancy and Ace both held back on what their dreams were really about, by all means for obvious reasons but I like that dynamic where they don’t have to completely say what went on but they understand the barrier of not pressing on something that either one of them isn’t prepared to share, it’s not a permanent refusal to say what it was or that they won’t open ever open up about anything but more of a promise that if either one feels more comfortable to open up about it, they will but there’s nothing owed there. The couple energy they exude, along with the absolute buckets of chemistry they have is glorious, and just the way they fit each other so well and have even effected each other already in their development as people, *chef’s kiss*.

As far as the next few episodes are concerned, I know there’s a bit of worry about the promo pics not showing Alex in so far as his character Ace’s involvement in those episodes, but I like to believe that because he’s still listed as being in the episodes that it’s probably because it would be too spoiler-y, and even that maybe the pics we do have are what they could release for those episodes but that don’t encompass the entire episode’s content. Plus, seen as Ace also has his own arc this season, it’ll be interesting to see that play out. Especially with the last scene with Carson in 3x04, aside from the fact I’m sure Carson will hear him out, it’s beginning to look interesting over there (I wonder if Ace will go more into why he did that stuff for Mr Bobbsey, but also hope there can be a way out of this for him, don’t know when Nancy will find out about all this but it’ll be interesting when she eventually does and what she does about it).

Also, not to have to say it but I will, as far as Nancy and Agent Park are concerned, I think if he were really going to be a strong contender for Ace, it would’ve been strongly onset more so at this point, but hasn’t, so it’ll be interesting what sort of role he plays because really he’s only just entered the show at this point and doesn’t really seem to have the ability to derail Nace, plus with the promo pics I've seen, there is a hell of a lot of personal space between Park and Nancy that Nancy and Ace just don’t have to take into consideration, even in the pic where she’s stood behind him at the computer, even if she moved closer in the scene, that movement wouldn’t be necessary, hell it would exist if this were Nace. So anyways that’s me saying my peace on that for now, at this point isn’t anyone to be suspicious of, although it could all do a 180 so I’m going to keep an eye out for any sus behaviour from him.

Anyways, that’s all that’s on my brain for now, if there’s anything I’ve forgot I’ll probably just make another post to get it out there. I just love how it’s all coming together. Other than that, love you drewds! x

#Nancy Drew #cw nancy drew #nace #nace season #ace x nancy #nancy x ace #ace [redacted]#ace [hardy]#alex saxon #kennedy mcmann #nancy drew spoilers #cwnd spoilers

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raayllum · 1 year

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Opinion about the first episode of season 4?

My first watch it did feel a little clunky, but I think that's also bc 1) as a super fan I'd seen all the clips released already and 2) had read the SDCC twitter thread, so nothing about the episode was a surprise in terms of like, scene by scene stuff. 4x01 in particular hinges on two mis-directs where what we think may be conflict (Sunfire ambush, 'plot against the king'") only for them to both be happier things. Which is why I think Callum's plotline ending badly (aka sadly) is important because otherwise it's too much of a positive note.

AKA I've watched the episode 3 times since and it 100% worked for me (which is also how it worked for S3 feeling a little fast the first time I saw it, but I was also hyped up on so much adrenaline and very little sleep and - shockingly - that makes a difference, I know). I've seen people complain about the tone but I think people tend to have nostalgia perfection goggles on for things they love and compared TDP to (largely ATLA, which had "Zuko angrily visiting Iroh in prison" and "Aang throwing a secret dance party" intercut immediately with one another) and it's like - TDP has always done a very good job at balancing its tone, same as ATLA, but it does feel hypocritical to watch fans of both not realize what they're "excusing" just cause they're used to it vs being hard on TDP.

This goes for TDP too since besides 1x01, this is probably the most packed premiere episode we've had. 2x01 was very exposition heavy when it came to magic and not much else actually happened in it, and like... 3 things happen in 3x01 and the most important stuff is all near the end of the episode, basically? So while 4x01 is absolutely doing the heavy work of catching us up and doing set up for the season, I think it does that difficult job as well as it reasonably can, tbh. Again: I don't mind people complaining, but the complaints gotta be grounded in merit, y'know? (That said: soft blocking people with negativity in the tags because I'm not about that with this show and never will be).

I have also been tickled pink by all the more casual reviewers / watchers who was surprised at Callum's behaviour with Soren and his lack of patience for bullshit now, since not only is it exactly how I thought he'd be post-timeskip and TTM, I thought it was exactly how he'd behave post-a speculative timeskip back in January 2020 with excerpts like this from "If Time Is Money" - so fucking satisfying, man:

She could perfectly picture the haughty look on Runaan’s face as he said, in a rather bored voice, as though whatever conversation that was about to be had was pointless. Runaan wasn’t necessarily a proud individual, but he had little patience for what he deemed illusions of youth or other perceived wastes of time. “Listen, boy—” “No, you listen,” Callum said, fair more sternly. Sterner than Tiadrin would have thought possible, given the softness he generally carried. “We’re never going to like each other, for obvious reasons. I think I have a far better one, as yours is based in prejudice, and mine is based on the fact you literally murdered my father, but that’s not the point. The point is that while I don’t care what you say about me, as I’ve heard far worse from other elves like you, Rayla does and you are still her father and she deserves to have you in her life and to have a good relationship with you. So when she’s not around, you can say whatever you want, even to my face. I don’t care and I don’t plan on rising to it anyway. But when she is around, you keep that shit to yourself, because it’s only going to upset her, and she’s been through more than enough.” Runaan’s face was stiff and barely readable, when Tiadrin stole a look. It was only because she knew him so well that she could tell he was at least a little gobsmacked, and so, quite frankly, was she. The prince’s tone left no room for debate, as she carefully watched Runaan try and scrounge up anything to say at all.

Adored all the Viren and Callum parallels since I've also thought since S2 that S4 would ramp it up majorly and it's super gratifying / interesting / exciting to watch that come to fruition. I also loved the Janaya proposal and thought it was super sweet. I gotta adjust to some of the small animation changes (I think possibly character / face silhouette line work and being even more fluid than before) but I love the flexing, updated character designs, and all the little microexpressions.

I'm so pumped for the rest of the season, it's going to be unreal (and just like, 2.5 days away now)!

#thanks for asking #reviews #mine #lmao #s4 #4x01 #fandom nonsense #ever so slightly #darkwolfgoddess #and listen i have my own biases #i think 1x07's highlight as an episode besides human rayla is the scene where callum and ezran #are sitting around looking cute as hell with lil cups in their hands #this is My show and i'm gonna appreciate it as such #s4 spoilers #tdp #tdp spoilers #the dragon prince #fic: if time is money #characterization

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hawaiifiveoh · 2 years

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my random thoughts and first impressions on 3x01 when steve finally meets his mom Doris again:

“since when does a son address his mom by her first name?” “when she stopped being one 20 years ago” YEAH YOU TELL HER, STEVE

i can already sense the emotional baggage multiplying from Doris being back in Steve's life.

“Call me mom, someone should.” Seriously? And Danny’s like... wtf, no haha.

Oh my GOD, Doris is so pushy like you haven’t been in your son’s life for 2 decades, he finds you, is desperate in one way to know you, and you’re literally picking fights with Danno in the backseat???

“I don’t think you’re in a position to be giving advice” YEAH DANNY GET HER

Then when she’s meeting Catherine the first time? “What does Steve call you?” DORIS, shut up. Catherine was way too nice to her...

[sidebar: mcdanno carugment #256? “I’m just saying, boo-boo.” Boo-boo? I was Danny in that exact same moment.]

Doris let Wo Fat escapeee?! He would just hop out the window, even though he was determined to find and kill you. Righttttt.

Doris and Wo Fat know each other??? I bet they do, because she could've ended everything right there in their little stand-off. Did she not care at all how many times her son has almost died bc of him and how her entire family has been wrecked by all this?

I don’t like Doris, she’s lying. Lying. Lying.

McGarrett looked so heartbroken watching that plane leave with her... stop, baby don’t be so sad, please.

Danny knew the whole thing with Wo Fat at the safehouse was weird. He checked the ballistics report and tells Steve about it,

I KNEW IT. STEVEN YOUR MOTHER IS A LIAR... well was, and still is.

DAMMIT, this is only gonna get worse, isn’t it?

#h50 3x01 #doris mcgarrett #hawaii 5-0

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johannas-motivational-insults · 3 years

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So I don’t mean this argumentatively, I’m just genuinely confused & would like to understand this. I also struggle with empathy & take things very literally, so that could be part of why I’m not understanding. But where is Catra shown to be empathetic or compassionate? I understand that her abuse informs a lot of her actions and that’s why she is impulsive, lies, and manipulates others in the earlier seasons- they’re survival tactics that she got from SW + growing up in the Horde.

But I didn’t notice her going out of her way for others unless it could also benefit her in some way. I’ve also seen people say that she died in the process of sending Glimmer to Adora, & therefore deserves redemption because she made the ultimate sacrifice, only to then be saved and effectively made to work on her behavior and become a better person. And that would be all well & good, except we don’t really see her working on her behavior, except in the scene where she’s telling Adora that she’s working on her anger, and in the scene where she asks her to stay. I’m also not sure that she actually died, though I have heard a lot of people saying that. And I get that it’s called a redemption arc for a reason, & that the implication is that she will continue to work on her behavior and be better, but I just don’t know that we saw enough of that in the show.

So the thing with Catra is that a lot of this is pretty subtle. And as I said in the other ask that I assume you’re referring to with this, she’s often driven by a mix of selfish and unselfish motives. You’re correct that a lot of the times she does things for other people could also be seen as selfish moves because there’s something in it for her too, but that’s not always true and even when it is it doesn’t mean that that empathy or care for other people isn’t there.

Some examples of times when she shows empathy/care for others while also helping herself:

Gives Adora the sword so she and Glimmer can escape in 1x09, which is a kindness to Adora but also allows Catra to keep her job and her power (even if it breaks her heart to give up on bringing Adora back)

Warns Entrapta to stay out of Hordak’s sanctum and chases Entrapta down when she defies her in 2x03, which seems to be a mix of not wanting to deal with an angry Hordak herself and protecting a rather oblivious Entrapta from getting into trouble

(Note that in both of these examples she does this in a rather brusque or mean way, hiding her concern, but the subtext is there if you watch closely)

However, there are also many instances where Catra helps other people despite there not only being nothing in it for her, but when it’s actually against her own interests. Here’s the ones I can think of off the top of my head (but I’m sure there’s more):

Lies about Adora’s whereabouts and then her identity as She-Ra early in season 1 to protect her from the Horde, even after she’s promoted to Force Captain, which is dangerous not only to her career but to her life and limb

Tries to comfort her abuser Shadow Weaver when she sees her in distress in 1x04 and 1x10, the former instance right after Shadow Weaver gears up to attack her and "drag the truth” from her mind (anyone less empathetic would run away or even gloat)

Brings Shadow Weaver her old badge in 2x06 as a final favor when SW is about to be shipped away for good, despite it possibly being something that could get her in trouble and there being nothing in it for her (and in fact if she’s as selfish and callous as some say she’d deny SW this closure out of spite)

Turns down Scorpia’s offer to break her out of prison in 3x01, which seems to be entirely for Scorpia’s benefit as Catra has nothing to lose at this point (people just don’t see the compassion in this because she drives Scorpia away in a mean way to ensure she actually leaves)

Doesn’t tell Hordak that Scorpia “broke the recordings” that were inside Emily in 4x06, lies and says there was nothing, which turns Hordak’s anger on her instead of Scorpia (this perhaps is also motivated by guilt over how she just yelled at Scorpia and said awful things to her -- like I said, Catra is complicated -- but alleviating her guilt doesn’t help her situation at all so that’s borderline)

If you want, there’s a whole tweet thread of instances of Catra showing care and empathy for others. Some of these are weaker than others and the list may not be complete, but they’re all there for your consideration.

In addition to the things she does for other people, a lot of this is in her body language. If you really watch Catra, you can see that being cruel does not come naturally to her and she feels conflicted about a lot of her choices (or is straight up haunted by them, like her nightmare about betraying Entrapta in 4x03). Likewise, you often see her expression soften when she sees someone in distress. There are so many examples, it’s something baked into her character and it’s evident throughout the show, even when she’s at her lowest. But I think people often miss these moments because she usually shoves that initial reaction down and reacts in a way that on paper just makes her look like a cruel villain. For instance, she has a particularly guilt-stricken moment in 4x12 when Kyle calls her out for treating her old squad badly before she reacts by shoving that guilt down and reasserting her power, as that’s the only thing protecting her.

You have to understand that Catra was taught both implicitly and explicitly that compassion and vulnerability are weaknesses. And throughout the show, oftentimes when she does open up or do something for someone else it results in her being hurt/betrayed. Shadow Weaver in 2x06 and Double Trouble in 4x13 teach her that trusting people and allowing them in is dangerous and only ends in pain and devastation (and with Shadow Weaver, it teaches her the same lesson about showing mercy). When she spirals into her homocidal/suicidal breakdown starting in 3x03 it’s because she finds out Shadow Weaver left her to join the rebellion, just like Adora, and that Bright Moon is now harboring her abuser (as she understands it). Thing is, that all happens just as she’s starting to open up to and actually befriend Scorpia, and even though Scorpia isn’t the one who hurt her it still reinforces that pattern that vulnerability and kindness comes before a horrible, life-shattering event. Because of all this, she hides the empathy and kindness intrinsic to her actual character under layers of power and cruelty to protect her broken heart from being hurt again and protect herself from getting removed from power, because that’s the only thing keeping her from becoming someone’s abuse victim again after so many years suffering under Shadow Weaver’s heel.

I totally hear you about wishing there was a bit more to Catra’s redemption arc, but much like the rest of her emotional arc a lot of it is implicit. I’m very glad they added that one moment where she talks about working on her anger as well as her mini arc with Perfuma in 5x10 that culminated in Perfuma’s speech about learning to be vulnerable so you can be happy. But there’s lots of smaller moments buried in the season too, where we see her conflicted and struggling with these impulses of protecting herself vs. opening up or showing kindness. I mean, her half of 5x06 was basically about that too, though that’s only the beginning of this journey. Having Melog around was great too because they not only mirror her emotions for the audience to see but also help her process said emotions. Basically, the redemption is a process for her and a lot of it is not super explicit but in the end I think we have all we need to understand who Catra really is and that she wants to do better and is going to continue to in the future.

Really, Catra’s redemption arc is not so much about making up for what she did (which I and many others wish there was more of but oh well) as it is about rediscovering her true self and honoring that, learning to be vulnerable and kind again. In the end, her willingness to open herself up to potential rejection and loss and her kindness and love motivating her to help Adora get to the Heart and complete her mission are what ended up saving the universe, and that was a very intentional choice by the creators. Catra’s journey is not about coming back to Adora, it’s about coming back to herself, and I think that’s beautiful.

#spop #she-ra #she ra #catra #catrademption #redemption arc #catradora #abuse survivor psychology #asks #anon

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