Malevolent eps 11-12 liveblog
ooh jeez. that was intense
John literally gives the shitiest pep talks but somehow I feel like they'd work on me
Are they thinking what I'm thinking? Disguise time?
ook so John had something to do with the cult/the king in yellow in the past
who dis? Does he have an eyeball demon as well?
What the Fuck!?
we're in big trouble now boys I can feel it
Doug the cult leader. I love it
Hey! Are those like. the questions that the patreon gets to vote on or whatever??
Petulant child!!! you're one to talk buddy
oh my goddd the monsters in this show fuck so hardd
Arthur is now wearing a thigh length cultist robe. btw.
Laundry chutes coming through as always
Ready for our boys to Sam Gamgee this fucker. but like, if Sam had a gun.
oh. oh my god. not to me. not if it's you. i'm gonna fucking die. these two will be the death of me.
somebody's jumpy
he's facing the other way! Such an idiot I love him
*turns on phonograph* hello Jo(h)n
Kellen!!!
ooh dreamlands!! Fun!
the audio distortions when the doctor is talking are creepy as fuck
it's a riddle about the mirrors dummy. Ok they got it
God that's so creepy, I love it. Doing nothing for my fear of elevators
ahhhhh so coool something something lost carcosa
John eat a snickers. John.
the sounds this man is making
ewww gross
Cassilda!!! Hey queen!!
buddy they're not talking to you
AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH etc
the power of love wins as always, tho they're probably fucked now. Also listening to this while trying to stay quiet and not wake my roommate was physically painful
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Honestly though, but the way the show, not to mention Ferdinand Kingsley’s stupendous acting, makes us absolutely fall in love with Hob...
I was thinking about this yesterday at work bc monday nights are painfully slow, but stick with me. Throughout the centuries, we get to see different sides of Hob Gadling, both good and bad.
We see the soldier-turned-mercenary, so we know he has killed and pillaged both to survive and for money - but we also see his child-like wonder at all the changes going on around him, no matter how small or insignificant they might appear to us in our technologicaly advanced future. And it’s impossible not to admire him for being so open and enthusiastic for new things as they come.
We see him in extravagant wealth, proud of the fruits of his labor from the past hundred years and how vapid, maybe even sort of shallow they’ve made him. But knowing his origins, how can we fault him for enjoying all the things he worked so hard for and boast them? For how he built himself from nothing and reached the blissful top where he doesn’t have to worry about food and shelter, where he can have everything he needs (and wants) only one short financial exchange away? I’ll be real with you guys, I was so damn proud of Hob in 1589, even if he was being a bit of a twat about it. He was so damn happy with his wife and baby boy, you could tell he was aware of what it took to get where he is and he is grateful for all of it. He ends up taking it all for granted perhaps, but I get the feeling that above all, he’s grateful. And to be rejected by Dream the way he was... I felt bad for him bc as a person of limited means, I know what it��s like to have to work your ass off to get a modicum of comfort.
Right afterward, as we come to expect right at the end of the 1589 sequence, we see him in extreme poverty - dirty, clothes good for the trash but they’re probably the only pieces he has left, down in the mud with nothing, starving to death over and over again, and we hear how the past hundred years have been the worst of his life, every tragedy laid out bare - yet, he still wants to live.
Many of you likely know how fucking hard it is to go through harsh times when you just want to stop existing. I know I do. So, to see Hob smiling, despite all the shit he went through, and heartily say he has so much to live for despite his current circumstances?? I mean, the sheer stubbornness and bravery, knowing tomorrow will be just as bad as tonight but still looking forward to it, is downright charming. Not even inspiring, though it is, but most of all, it’s so charming. Sexy, even, like... OOF.
Oh boy, and then comes the elephant in the room: 1789. “Shipping business.” Actively participating in the enslavement of other human beings. Look, I’m a humanitarian at heart, even if I’m not exactly a “people person”, so let me make this clear: what Hob was doing was WRONG. What he was doing is UNFORGIVABLE. I can never excuse him for it, nor forgive him. I think it was downright despicable and he deserves to live with the weight of those sins and the blood on his hands for eternity.
That being said - no matter how abhorrent his actions were, the fact that almost as soon as Dream calls him out on it, he is humbled enough to consider changing his ways (and eventually following through), while it does nothing to erase the suffering he was causing, at least it shows he is not completely souless either. There is some good in him that’s worth carving out and bring into the light, there’s something in him that’s worth preserving. Not saving, there’s no coming back from participating in slavery. Just preserving. It’s more explicit in the comics, where Hob says he will never be able to make up for this mistake, and it’s that humility and willingness to improve himself and do better in the future that’s worth appreciating. Imagine if all the evil people in the world woke up to reality and decided to change for the better and work to make up for what they’ve done, even if that will never undo their past actions? I think the world would be doing a lot better. We need to give people a chance to be better, not without proper punishment, mind you! But those who do repent and regret their actions need a chance to be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society, otherwise we are never moving forward.
Anyway.
In comes my favorite iteration of Hob: 1889. It’s when we truly see the culmination of the centuries, the best version of himself he can be, a man who believes people are almost always better than we think they are, who is too modest to admit he’s changed for the better, where he is neither poor nor wealthy, just average - someone willing to admit that he’s made mistakes and will continuing to make them because he might be immortal, but he’s still a human being ridden with flaws. He’s just so bashful when he becomes vulnerable with Dream, when he opens himself up and shows his own insecurities and regrets. So beautifully human.
And finally, we get to see his devotion to his relationship with Dream from 1989 forward, and yeah, look, I’m a BIG Dreamling fan as you’ve probably noticed, but just put that aside for a moment.
If Hob is this dedicated to his friendship with a creature he only meets once a century, imagine what he’s like with all his other friends? Even back in 1589, the way he talks about Eleanor and Robyn, with so much love and affection, like they are the center of his world. He’s one loyal son of a bitch. And quick to forgive, it seems.
And that’s why regardless of all the awful things he does through time, I can’t... Hate him for it. I can fault him for sure, I can recognize his dark side and say “yeah, no dude, you were a shitty person for doing all that.”
I think it’s the good things about him that balance it all out. By the end of episode 06, I feel nothing except a deep appreciation and affection for Hob’s character. He inspired me to be the best person I can be, to forgive myself for my slights and focus on the next day, the next moment, and strive to do better always, never to wallow in self-pity and self-hate because ultimately, it helps neither myself nor anyone else. Above all, he and Death inspired me to look at life under a different prism, a more positive one. Yeah, the world is all fucked up, there’s little we can do to change it and everything dies in the end, but if you look hard enough, there’s always something worth looking forward to.
We aim for change. We do our best. And above all, we live.
And that’s how I’ve ended up falling head over heels for Hob Gadling.
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The thought that I can’t get out of my head is that Steven is based on Dr. Steven Grant. A hero. A man without fear. Which would follow that he would be a protector, an alter that could take the abuse for Marc. But Marc It’s-My-Fault-My-Brother-Died Spector has such a strong need to protect people other than himself and feels so profoundly guilty for Ro-Ro dying that he just ended up turning Steven into a stand in for Randall and hid the trauma from him anyway. I mean, Steven is based on a literal hero, and here’s ten year old Marc just being like, nope, Steven can’t see any of this. I must protect him at all costs.
Anyway, I’ll just be over here like
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