#very passionate about their dynamic and the reunion next episode
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I know the most likely outcome with Fyolai next episode is the whole “the antidote was the poison all along” switcheroo, but personally, I would love to see Fyodor undone by his own over planning.
Nikolai has been pretty straightforward and honest so far about his feelings for Fyodor and his motivations for wanting him dead, so even thought I doubt something like this could actually happen, I think a more beautifully tragic ending for them would be for Nikolai to be telling the truth, but for Fyodor to be incapable of trusting his intentions.
Think about it, Nikolai, happy to get what he wanted but didn’t allow himself to want — finally able to have Fyodor is his life without feeling trapped by it because he let go and left it to chance and Fyodor won anyway — giving Fyodor the antidote only for Fyodor to refuse to take it.
Fyodor’s undoing should be thinking that he knows better and doubting that someone who truly wants something would ever leave it to chance, doubting Nikolai’s plan is actually just what he said it was, no additional hidden motivations or manipulations, but truly and actually just letting it unfold as he told them all he would.
Because while Nikolai does want his freedom, he has also been very open about being fond of Fyodor. It’s why he wants him gone in the first place.
To have them both get everything they wanted only to lose it at the last second, for Nikolai to realize there is no freedom, because even if he lets go of what he feels and leaves it to chance and Fyodor wins and everything works out perfectly, then there are still Fyodor’s feelings and those are the feelings of someone used to scheming and unwilling to trust, if Nikolai lets go only to be hurt anyway, I feel like that would be hauntingly beautiful.
Specially considering all the talk of bonds and trust that’s been brought up by this arc, this could all line up for a perfect tragedy.
Bsd doesn’t really do many permanent deaths, specially not when the characters have been with us for a while, but if Fyodor is supposed to be gone at the end of this arc, I think this might be a pretty devastating way to do it.
In all honesty, I don’t think it will go like this at all, but kind of want it to.
As someone who enjoys their dynamic for how twisted their reluctance to have affection makes them, I think it would be interesting to see that reluctance be what takes them out. If Nikolai could accept having Fyodor as a friend, the poison wouldn’t have been given to him in the first place and if Fyodor could accept that Nikolai is his friend in a deranged, but genuine way, then he would take the antidote.
As it is, they could destroy each other just by how they’ve been destroying themselves :’)
#not a prediction because well#I don’t think asagiri would take them in this route#it is a bit too deterministic for bungo tbh#so not a prediction but a pretty please can they?#I would love for that :( expression we got of Nikolai to be because Fyodor is refusing to take the antidote#I would love to hear him go#‘ah I’m free my dear friend’#but like sad as fuck#would love to see the happiness of Fyodor having won and finally getting to keep him in a ‘free’ way turning into desperate sorrow as like#Fyodor traps himself in his own web of manipulations#would love for Nikolai to have been honest when Fyodor never expected him too#anyway#very passionate about their dynamic and the reunion next episode#would go insane for a simple twist like this#for a twist that simply isn’t one#for the twist to be a lack of twists#Fyolai’s relationship doesn’t work on the same rules as Fyozai’s and to have THAT be the final twist of the prison escape would be so#idk poetic I think#to have someone be fully honest with Fyodor only for him not to believe it#just ahh anyway#many feelings about them next episode and this is like a final plea#let Nikolai have been honest about his plans and wishes and desires pretty please#let Fyodor’s unwillingness to rely on others be his undoing pretty please#it would close the foreshadowing of Dazai and Fyodor’s ‘therapy session’ so well#it would make me so devastated yet so happy#I think it’s what they both deserve#anyway anyway man :’)#bsd#bsd spoilers#fyolai
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Chihayafuru #52: Here comes the Yoshino Tournament
AKA. Kanatomu is back and absolutely here to stay.
[Previously: There’s a kind of confidence only Ayase-san can give him.]
Gosh, picking this up after a hiatus of 1.5 years is not gonna be easy, lol. Can’t believe that this partial post on Chihayafuru season 3 episode 2 has sit in my drafts for that long. I would like to blame Netflix for getting me hooked on The End of the F*cking World and Haikyuu, but to be fair, it was Genshin Impact. Okay, fine, it’s me. But I dare you to be unaffected upon the sight of and acquaintance with the one true Queen (of GI, obviously not karuta), I dare you.
... Jokes and finger-pointing aside, I am truly glad to return to rambling about this wonderous world, despite feeling lost and out of tune like Taichi making his way back to karuta in the beginning of season 1. I must admit that I have forgotten quite a bit of what happened in the past seasons - the matches, the characters’ struggles and dynamics. Before sitting down to finish this post, I have re-read my Chihayafuru collections in the hope of filling up the gaps in my recollection but the fact remains that I am truly worried about my ability to do the rest of Season 3 (which is a lot left ahahaha) and the entire Chihayafuru story justice. It is such an intricately and tightly written work thus far, with so much depth and all the details that all tie together.
Nonetheless, seeing Taichi and hearing Miyano Mamoru have never failed to inspire me to do my best at any given moment. So this is for you, Masuge-kun, and me, for us idiots who ran away and could not help coming back to home.
*deep breath* Now that I got that out of my chest, let us go back to episode 52 because Kanatomu is a thing already. I’m just literally waiting for either of them taking the next step of confession because really, it’s just a matter of time that Kanatomu is canon. So excited for them to be actively turning toward each other and walking the same path hand in hand!!
Before snow falls on Yoshino Village
So many heartstrings were tugged on hearing that sweet bumbling hesitancy in his voice.
There’s so much about the opening scene of this episode to love, from Arata’s cute blushy face, the return of his less-seen shy self, to his gentle and whole-hearted conviction in the need to keep the karuta world growing via school teams, which are often regarded by traditionalists as lesser players. It’s truly heartening to see friends cheering on our resident soft-speaking, socially distant boy and him declaring his intention to enter the next national team tournament.
“Our world of karuta can only grow because of team players who keep the game alive, right?”
It was not until this scene that I truly felt the karuta world’s transformative power on Arata and how much he has opened up since his reunion with Chi-chan and Taichi, and his return to karuta. Had it not been for such experience, Arata might have been much more like Shi-chan, closed off and passionate all on her own. While Arata’s plan to form a school team for the national tournament quickly came to a bust, there’s no denying that Arata’s world has vastly opened up, the moment he wished to spread the word of karuta.
Our fun and peaceful school life rounds continued with Chi-chan and the hardship of figuring out a future path. A certain obstacle will soon be placed in her path but before that, here comes training time.
You’re not the only one lol. The only move Taichi made was to declare war on Chi-chan... so we’ll have to wait and see.
Reality, as it looks, is pretty disheartening, huh?
Taichi’s progress was all noted by Chi-chan, especially how much further his strength in memorization had taken him in the game, making him a very formidable opponent in the later half.
Boy is aiming much higher now, heh? Well, one thing is certain - he definitely had Chi-chan’s attention now. A poor shipper can only hope that he would build something substantial out of it, while Arata is not yet back in the picture permanently.
Perhaps not so surprisingly, Taichi is not the only whose spirits ran high. #everyone_wants_taichi
It’s absolutely hilarious to see these 3 fighting over who got to play Taichi and even better to see the ever gentile and soft-spoken Tsutomu-kun literally snap after an ill-advised argument from Nishida lmao.
Achievement unlocked: one snapped Tsutomu.
There’s a real sense of momentum in Tsutomu’s progress and it would certainly do him good to keep riding on that wind. As Kana-chan so shrewdly observed, going undefeated for an entire day can truly change a person’s mindset.
And Tsutomu is not the only one energized by the team and individual victories of the club. The competitive bug has taken hold of another, one who has found a guiding goal for herself and started to walk firmly towards it.
If Tsutomu’s spirited outburst was already quite unexpected for someone of a quiet disposition, Sumire certainly took the prize in being the greatest surprise of them all. She was asked by Taichi to take a turn playing against Chi-chan, who have started to get comfortable playing with her left hand. Sumire was meant to be an “easy” opponent so that Chi-chan could slowly reacquaint herself with using her right hand. While her level may have not seen a big leap but the same could not be said for her determination and resolve to do exactly what Taichi is trying to do - getting on the radar of her love interest.
That look in her eyes certainly said all. No longer directionless, she now takes tenacious steps with her eyes dead-set on the goal. Her no-nonsense attitude, previously dormant, has taken hold and redefined her character in such a way that completely captivated everyone’s attention.
“I’ll win more in the next tournament. I’m not gonna be class D forever.”
Sumire’s desire to catch Taichi’s eyes being a powerful motivator for her karuta is just in her character. What really strikes me is how enduring such motivation has turned out to be. Seeing this once-flippant and thoughtless girl putting her mind to some real serious pursuit and self-development is truly gratifying.
It feels a little strange to go back to school with these guys after a whole season of mostly tournament matches in Omi Jingu. Suddenly, school trips are a thing, even Chi-chan is hyped over it. These reminders of them having some sort of life outside of karuta will need some getting used to, lol. Unfortunately, seems like school and karuta will come head to head at some point.
Apparently, school trip is not something Chi-chan can easily skip for karuta. Even her literature teacher, after reading her love poems to karuta, took upon himself to forewarn the Empress, aka. the karuta club adviser, on how Chi-chan is a flight risk. Downtrodden by thoughts of not getting to go to the Qualifiers, Chi-chan was shaken out of her funk by Kana-chan, who has always sought to instill feminine grace in our heroine.
I do like the idea of performing small acts of good behavior to accumulate good luck. It is similar to building good karma through acts of kindness and charity, and is a very Kana-thing to believe in.
Then came this somewhat bewildering insert of a Japanese lit. period, which touched upon the age-old debate of creator vs. critic and the role of literature teachers as those who pass on “the words of the many who came before”. Like I do appreciate the insights but I’m not sure of their relevance to the story, now or later. But it did make Chi-chan’s face light up so is this some sort of placeholder for some discussion of future career pathway? *shrug* still weird.
There is finally some good news for Chi-chan: her finger has recovered well after the surgery and her right hand is back! And the Yoshino tournament is literally around the corner, so let’s go!
Team or individual...?
The arrival and clashes of karuta societies made the Yoshino tournament livelier and stand out from previously seen tournaments, where either the schools or the individuals took the center stage. Chi-chan and company were here to play for themselves and to also represent the philosophy of their respective societies.
Here comes the Nagumo society, from Fukui.
And their arch-rival.
I miss Harada-sensei!!!!
Love how the members are so gentile, except for the coach...
There are also some peeps whose schools are akin to karuta societies, me thinks.
Yay, Rion made it to class A too. That should put her in matches against Chi-chan and Taichi at some point!
Lest I forget amidst all the excitement, but this is Taichi’s first-ever tournament as a class-A player!!!
Harada-sensei welcoming Taichi to class A and being a proud papa is all the fluff I need.
Fired up by his own agenda for the Shiranami karuta society as he was, Harada-sensei never forgot to cheer on his Eyelashes-kun, the prodigal child that returned home to karuta.
Meanwhile, Chi-chan had a sweet moment or two with Arata, and then promptly got herself caught up in shenanigans, again.
blushie from Arata. Now that I think about it, when was the last time that Taichi was this blushy around Chi-chan... Though to be fair, he was too busy keeping up with her antics and too jaded by her less-than-feminine comportment to have time for blushies...
She looked so cute here, reminding me of younger Chi-chan - so pleased by praise from Arata.
But above all, they are here for the karuta.
Certainly not before meeting Arata again, right?
And here came Sudo-san, whose “s” stands for shenanigan, sadist and stalker.
... Oh come on, he provides commentary for all of Chi-chan’s matches, whenever he’s not playing himself. If that is not stalker-ish behavior, then it’s secret admirer, mwhahaha.
Taichi = Chi-chan’s tamer.
The stakes just keep getting higher, huh? DON’T TAKE IT, TAICHI!!!
Though I must say I do look forward to a rematch between Sudo-san and Chi-chan, if the mangaka karuta god wills it so. Actually, Sudo-san has yet to play against Taichi thus far, right...?
*fingers cross* my memory please come backkkk
Lmao, bit early for this pairing to be exciting, considering the last round of team tournament at Omi Jingu. But I would like to see this senpai again, for sure. His puppy love for Rion is so hopeless lol.
It sure is the thread of fate lol. Awww, I do like this President Cheers/Yoroshiku.
Poor Nishidaaaa, gambatte ne.
With Chi-chan and Taichi growing by leaps and bounds and having exciting reunions with friends and rivals, it can be easy to forget about the lower-level players like Tsutomu-kun. To think that it only took him about a year (or less?) to reach class B. That, in itself, is quite the feat and his progress deserves all the recognition and spotlight from before and here onwards. While class B proved to be more challenging than he expected, and Tsutomu-kun has a long way to go before becoming a strong player, I do hope that he will have more chances to show his resolve and be more than a supporting character.
“I should have known a class B match wouldn’t be like class C.”
Unfortunately, this is as far as he got in this tournament. I find it such a shame that we won’t get to see more of Tsutomu-kun the karuta player for now, but I understand that the narrative is building up something spectacular for the trio in Yoshino so Tsutomu-kun’s early elimination would help with the story’s focus, which has been a little all over the place in this episode.
Before moving on, some appreciation from the girl who has been walking the same path with him since the beginning.
Kanatomu has always been my comfort ship, especially whenever Taichihaya feels like the most hopeless thing ever. Kana-chan’s openly-expressed affection and care for Tsutomu-kun is truly balm for the soul.
“You said were going to win so I wanted to be there to see it.”
Both Kana-chan and Tsutomu-kun are the quiet strength that supports and holds the team together. They make for an adorable couple-to-be, with all the chemistry that any pairing could ever hope to have.
Back to the class A matches, it is with another untimely elimination that this episode ends on.
Nishida’s tenacity was amazing as always, but I wished that we could have seen more of his match against Sudo-san. At least his Nikuman roll.
Overall, this episode is a bit of a mixed bag. I do get pumped for the upcoming matches of Chi-chan and Taichi, as well as reunion match(es) with Arata but I am not so sure about two eliminations in one go. I don’t enjoy seeing support characters being used so blatantly as plot devices, especially when they barely have any screentime. Nonetheless, this speaks to Chihayafuru’s strength in character writing, in how the series really gets viewers invested in all characters, regardless of how brief their appearance or their importance to the main storyline.
Wow, I am here, at the end of my post on the 2nd episode. I still can’t believe that it took me so long to finish it. All the excuses I could have said I did, so allow me to leave you with these parting words.
Even while in the thick of GI, Chihayafuru still colored my world. There are many reasons as to why one would choose to pull for Kazuha, but for me, it was how he embodies classical Japanese poetry and aesthetics, and manifests it in every aspect of his character design and lore. I literally decided to pull for him because of his maple-themed kimono (which feels so quintessentially Japanese to me) and the name of his Elemental skill - “Chihayaburu”. It doesn’t hurt that his kit (skills) is awesome and totally kicks ass, but truly, I was sold at the moment I saw the leak with his Elemental skill’s name.
And while his “Chihayaburu” does not come from Chihaya’s favorite poem #17, it is still a reference to classical Japanese poetry - the Man’yoshu, or “Ten thousand leaves” collection. And the more you dig into Kazuha’s character, there are more references, like in the voice-overs for his Burst animation (a splendid affair of maple leaves caught in whirlwind) and his musing on maple leaves (in which he recited Ogura Hyakunin Isshu’s poem #5). In a character demo video, Kazuha is also shown to be composing a haiku, while wandering the world.
There is so so much about Kazuha that appeals to me, and it would take much longer than 2 paragraphs to say it all, but all in all, it is the Japanese poetry so richly imbued in his design and character that speaks to me. And I would not have any appreciation of that, had I not been exposed to it in Chihayafuru.
Thanks for reading thus far, lovelies! I’ll be dashing off to watch the 3rd episode now! See you, for sure.
#Chihayafuru#chihayafuru season 3#chihayafuru anime#chihayafuru marathon#chihayafuru s3#natsumi talks#natsumi watches#Chihaya Ayase#ayase chihaya#Taichi Mashima#Mashima Taichi#Wataya Arata#Arata Wataya#Kanade Oe#komano tsutomu#sumire hanano#Yusei Nishida#kaedehara kazuha
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RAS Interviews Thoughts
So I’ve just read some of RAS’ interviews and I have thoughts, I am actually kinda excited about the interviews because RAS has confirmed alot of the things I was thinking myself. For example I said in regards to how Jughead and Veronica reacted to the Barchie kiss that I thought they were acting like they were fine right now but that I reckoned it was because they didn’t want to ruin their last weeks together and that I thought the anger would come through during the timejump and that’s when they will really start to process the pain of that betrayal and maybe that contributed to them not showing up a year later. Well in RAS’ interview with Entertainment Weekly he says this:
When it comes to them all not talking for seven years, is there a specific reason why that happened that we're going to get into this season?
I think so. With Betty and Jughead, there was a break that we will see. In my mind, part of the reason they split up is because of the Betty-Archie kiss. I think when the kiss happened, no one wanted it to ruin their last couple of weeks in high school so they hung on to get through that, but there's still fallout from that and I think that's kind of the reason. And though we will see particular details why, I think it's fallout from that kiss. It cut really deep.
I am actually glad that there will be some residual feelings left over from this betrayal because to me if there wasn’t any at all that wouldn’t be realistic at all. I mean when I’ve met/bumped into exes in the past there was still that awkward feeling and that lingering of pain, it can be really difficult to see them again especially if you haven’t really talked about it like Betty and Jughead haven’t. I would like to see some healing at some point and for them all to move on but I would like to see that process of the core four coming back together and learning to trust each other again.
RAS expanded a bit on this is his interview with The Dipp saying:
So from this we can see that Jughead in particular is struggling with a feeling of betrayal which might explain the other reports of him struggling to make a committed relationship work, he could be afraid to give his heart to someone else after being betrayed. I am curious to know if Veronica has these same feelings it would seem like shes had better luck moving on considering shes married.
Another thing I am happy about is going back to the Entertainment Weekly interview RAS did address the whole characters not interacting outside of the couples and said that one of the things the time jump has allowed them to do is have different dynamics.
‘And it allows us to play new dynamics. Now it's not just Betty in scenes with Jughead, now it's not just Cheryl and Toni in scenes together.’
You all know how much I was hoping for this so naturally I am over the moon to hear that it does seem that the writers are making a consious effort to have those different dynamics.
Something else I said I was interested in seeing was how the trauma of Riverdale might make the characters struggle to adjust to live outside of Riverdale. Again it seems like this is something that is going to be touched upon. Again in the entertainment weekly article it says:
You mention catching up with those stories, so will we be getting snippets of what went on during those seven years as the season progresses?
One hundred percent. We are going to be unpacking the seven years throughout the season and in a way, I think a theme of the season is trauma and how our different characters deal with trauma and how that kept them from fully thriving in their new lives. But we will be filling in the blanks, absolutely.
Again to me this seems realistic, of course they are going to struggle to move on from Riverdale with everything that happened to them there. I am also glad that we will be getting some backstory on what happened to the characters during the timejump.
Next I think we need to talk about the Queen. The Serpent Queen Toni that is and the clip that was released showing her performing. I loved it and I am really glad that they are giving more time to Toni she deserves it and she’s such an interesting character. Also again really looking forward to seeing her and Archie develop a great friendship. I loved the little smile she gave me at the end of that clip because to me I interpreted it as she’s been seeing what Hiram has been doing to the town and I think it hurts her to see that happening and she’s been struggling to make things better by herself and this is her knowing the moment she sees him that she’s going to have an ally now. I do feel like with her having a child coming she’s going to be even more invested in making sure that the world her child is coming into is a safe and happy place.
Ok so the part that I am most excited about as a Barchie shipper was this part from The Dipp interview.
I am so happy that RAS confirmed that there were feelings between Barchie and it seems like he is saying that Archie was in love with Betty in the pilot which is something we have all been speculating on for years. We were all saying it but it is nice that there is acknowledgement from RAS. Naturally he is still being vague about what form their relationship will be afterall he’s got to keep some air of mystery to get people invested and curious about the show but I am excited to see them explore those feelings. I mean obviously I can’t say for certain because I have nothing to do with the creation of the show I just watch it, but I do think it is going to be a romantic relationship. I also don’t necessarily think the line about ‘discover it very quickly’ means that they will jump into a relationship very quickly but that it has been written in a way that makes it obvious they are heading towards a romantic relationship pretty soon in the season if I am making sense there. But like I said we won’t know until the episodes air. But yes I am excited to see them develop the Barchie relationship.
Ok so before I wrap this up there is something I want to make clear first, I have seen alot of posts claiming that RAS has confirmed certain things. Now unless there is an interview I’ve missed which I don’t think there is because I am pretty sure these stem from the Dipp interview then lets be clear RAS has not confirmed a Bughead reunion or slowburn or endgame or anything of the kind. He has not confirmed a Varchie endgame. He has not confirmed a Barchie endgame. There is a funny thing about interviews and that is the parts that the person being interviewed has said are in quotation marks to show that they were the ones that said it, anything else written is the opinion of the author of the interview. So this bit here, which I am fairly sure is what people have been referring to:
This is not in quotation marks and so was not said by RAS it is the opinion of the interviewer. Now whether RAS said something to make them believe that Betty and Jughead will reunite and that it’ll be a slowburn we don’t know but as its not a direct quote from RAS and it is therefore not confirmed by RAS. Look saying you want a certain ship to be endgame that’s fine, saying you believe a certain ship will be endgame is fine, we are all passionate about our ships so of course we want them to be endgame. I mean I myself have made entire posts going on about why I think Barchie should be endgame so I understand that desire to want to find some solid proof that your ship is the ship that will make it. But making the claim that someone involved in the creation of the show has confirmed something when they haven’t that’s not ok. Especially as someone who hasn’t seen the interview might take your word for it and then potentailly be disappointed later down the line. The cold hard facts are this, we will not know who is endgame until that final episode airs. Up until then its just speculation.
But anyway I am looking forward to this episode and seeing all our kiddies all grown up. As always I will post a review in the next couple of days after the episode airs.
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ALRIGHT
THIS SEASON
IT WAS A LOT
my liveblogged thoughts under the cut
Episode 1
· Exhilarating! I love Ben
· Ben already has more lines in these first five minutes than he had in the first season
· This montage is good
· ALLISON BABY
· Luther yelled for Diego first I love this
· Diego is immediately in vigilante mode…….hot
· THE SHOT PARELLING VANYA’S FIRST WORDS
· Vanya is a mess we love to see it
· The shot of Five’s feet hitting the puddle? So aesthetically pleasing
· The battle scene is such a smart way of reintroducing everyone’s powers and their Final Form™ succinctly
· I love Hazel. So much.
· The Umbrella Atomic Explosion™ is SO clever I love it
· ALRIGHT UNCHARTERED TERRITORY LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOO
· Oh Hazel and Five make me soft
· Agnes and Hazel had a good life
· Hazel is so dead
· Welp that took no time at all
· “How many times did I say bulletproof briefcases?” ily mister five
· I love the Swedes they’re stupid
· Are we ever gonna know what Agnes made Hazel promise?
· Five is honestly world’s best character
· FUTURE HEADQUARTERS
· “Well the truth is out there!” abkdkblhlkbkhl
· I shouldn’t make quick judgments, but conspiracy nut guy is nice and I hope he doesn’t turn out evil, because I also through Harold was nice in the beginning
· Diego got himself arrested already what an idiot
· Asddjgflkflhfl Diego’s problems all put out
· Okay, set-up for Diego’s character arc of self-actualisation we love to see it
· Lila is awesome, but I hope they don’t make her crush on him excessively
· Diego and Five is an underrated duo
· THEY ARE SO BICKERY
· Five is jut gonna murder him sometime along the way
· I LOVE FIVE SO MUCH WHAT A LITTLE SHIT
· Oof Vanya is so cute in that outfit
· This scene perfectly encapsulates women having to listen to men
· VANYA’S GOING TO MILFTOWN Y’ALL
· I cannot tell white men apart, does Carl look like conspiracy nut guy or is it just me?
· As usual, Ben and Klaus are bad at everything
· “neither does your beard” icon Ben Hargreeves
· I support Ben pummelling Klaus
· I passionately hate the beard and love the coat
· Why do all the white men look alike, I thought this poker dude was a Swede
· I KNEW BEN WAS LYING
· “Pick a better time to self-actualise!”
· I still hate the beard, let’s see if it grows on me
· Yusuf Gatewood………….hot
· By far the hottest couple so far in TUA
· Please tell me she’s not still hung up on Luther
· Yes she is goddammit
· The moon thing is cute though, I can appreciate that
· Luther finally gets a well-soundtracked fight scene I love it
· OI THAT WAS BRUTAL HOLY SHIT
· Oh Luther is pulling a Five in feeling bad about his excessive violence
· I already hate his boss
· Raymond marry me pls
· Allison marry me pls
· OH MY GOD VANYA LAUGHED
· Sissy and Vanya have excellent chemistry
· Oh I see the deliberate parallel with Vanya, Umbrella Academy, you aren’t fooling me
· SWEDISH ASSASSINS BABY
· Do you think they’ll say a single word or?
· Literally the only way this show knows how to signal danger is through flickering lights
· Two bopping fight scene and Five hasn’t been in any of them
· Lila and Diego have no braincells between them it’s beautiful
· Alright, she knows how to fight……..supicious
· If this show wasn’t so hellbent on making Luther and Allison a thing, he would be best ace rep
· Lmao “I don’t give a shit” I love you Luther
EPISODE TWO
· ALRIGHT THE HANDLER IS BACK???????
· Okay so Hazel and Cha-Cha are dead but that pestilence still runs around??? Bruuuuuuuuuh
· Kate Walsh is still hot though
· AJ??????
· THE FISH SMOKES?!?
· God the Commission is such a capitalist hellhole
· Oh there we have 743
· H E R B
· Okay I am here to see her humiliated but please no redemption arc for her
· I love the deliberate parallels between Five and the Handler
· “Like a masseuse?” IDIOTS
· Oh Five is so lost and vulnerable baby boy
· Also the character developments in Luther!!!!!
· “Dad should’ve left him on the moon.” Five is, simply said, an icon
· Oof Sissy is SO cute
· I’m already not ready for Five to find Vanya
· Lila is so extra can we keep her
· Great now I have sympathy for Carl
· Luther’s new outfit looks so good on him
· OH LUTHER IS THE FIRST ONE TO SEE HER
· Well that was dramatic and didn’t lead anywhere
· Alright two episodes in, Civil Rights plotline hasn’t been fucked up yet
· WHAT THE FUCK IS THE SWEDE DRINKING SO CONSCPICOUSLY
· ELLIOTT IS THE NAME OF MISTER CONSPIRACY
· “cousins on my robot mother’s side”
· “Imagine Batman, then aim lower.”
· Lila is great I love her
· Diego is gonna throw both Five and Lila through a wall at some point
· Five is so ready to throw Diego under the bus
· Klaus Hargreeves, world’s worst cult leader
· ……….did Klaus built a cult on pop lyrics?
· Klaus and Raymond bonding I love it
· DIEGO AND FIVE BEST TEAM
· REGINALD IS THE UMBRELLA MAN
· OH LUTHER IS GONNA FIND HER HOLY SHIT
· THE BARN FROM THE PROMO PICTURE
· This scene is so good
· “You shouldn’t be the one to apologise.” I’M GONNA CRY
· Tom Hopper and Ellen Page are so good in this scene
· WHY DID HE LEAVE
· What the flying fuck is up with the Swedes
· BRO WHAT THE FUCK
· Is Five ever gonna bring up the fact that he was supposed to kill Kennedy or?
· Raymond is wasted on someone who doesn’t give him her whole heart
· What the FUCK, Klaus
· Why does she remember her name tho
· The violin starting up when she talks about the callouses on Vanya’s hands
· Brotherly bonding is my new favourite scene
· Do the filmmakers know that your scene can be suspenseful and well-lit
· Okay maybe baby Pogo is cute
· There is gonna be no Five murdering spree, the blood is solely from Pogo
· Next well-soundtracked fight scene
· The choreography of this!!!!!
· Man Reginald is a shitty dad before he even becomes a dad
· Diego cannot catch a break poor baby
EPISODE 3
· SHITTY WIG ON KLAUS ALERT
· THE LEVITATION IS BEN I HATE THIS
· So far, all title card umbrellas have not disappointed
· You are running in a straight line you really should hit her
· Yep, Watchmen flashbacks
· Luther remains cute and awkward
· THEY ARE TALKING TO EACH OTHER BABY
· S E Q U I N S
· SNEAKY LADY ALLISON IS BACK
· FINALLY
· A HUG
· Allison and Klaus are so cute
· What in the goddamn Looney Tunes is this outfit lady
· WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU LADY
· ALLISON HARGREEVES YOU QUEEN
· This spooky ghost show is great
· Everyone going off on Five is great
· @ this show stop ripping Vanya and Five apart and let them be soft
· Diego is so naked this entire season
· Diego and Lila are a good dynamic
· Elliott is a babe I love him
· The Handler continues to be creepy about Five
· So much driving
· Luther is baby and Raymond deserves better than to deal with all the baggage from all the Hargreeves brothers
· HE SHAVED THE BEARD
· Ouch this is awkward
· I don’t get why they didn’t cast normal Dave to play young Dave they’re not that far apart in age
· Oh he’s gonna have to let Dave go
· Oh this scene must be so triggering
· Oh shit’s bad and it’s only episode 3
· PUPPY???
· WE WERE RIGHT ABOUT LILA
· WHAT DO YOU MEAN THANKS MOM
EPISODE 4
· Oh my god the Handler is pure fucking evil
· She learnt the fighting from her mom alright
· THE RED BOOTS WERE THERE ALL ALONG
· Man I hoped that the antisemitism was gone
· Vanya being protective of Luther :’)
· Luther only has shitty father figures
· I can’t believe they were better organised last season
· Why do you hate the Vanya/Five dynamic so much, show?
· Five got an extra dose of asshole today this season huh
· Reggie is probably the twelfth
· Oh boy Klaus is a trainwreck
· That marriage is also a trainwreck
· I understand Ray though
· Why is there Styx on this soundtrack
· Oh Klaus baby
· GALA NIGHT BITCHES
· Five is a smart young old man
· Oh baby is eating his heart out
· Oh the hug makes me soft though
· Honestly, Tom Hopper and Emmy Raver Lampman have such cute chemistry
· AWKWARD DARLING MAN
· “Doomsday” *nervous chuckle*
· Ballroom lessons as kids
· This is an excellent dance scene
· OH MY GOD MOM WAS MADE AFTER A REAL WOMAN
· THIS SHOW MAN THIS SHOW
· Reggie is gross
· Diego’s mommy AND daddy issues are put on blast this season
· Sissy is such a babe
· Man we got budget BUDGET for this season
· Alright, the white violin can revive people now cool cool cool
· How different her powers are when powered by love
· I love Elliott I hope he survives the eason
· I am down for Luther and Elliott getting high together
· LET’S GO LESBIIIAAAAAAAAAANS
· God Allison and Klaus make me so soft
· I am very supportive of Elliott and Luther becoming bros
· You already shanked one son, go poker stick another one
· YES EXCELLENT FIGHT MUSIC
· They both?????? Just left him to fend for himself??????????
· Ancient Greek??? Bitch what
· This show is rated for violence and we have barely seen any!!!!!! What!!!!!!!
Episode 5
· Okay baby Pogo and Grace is adorable
· Why is Pogo in space now
· THEY KILLED POGO
· AGAIN
· Hargeeves got a hug before Five did what the effing fuck
· He might be a dick but his instincts are good
· Haha old cowboy
· Ben is so done
· Vanya……..Sissy……..my heart
· Wow Reginald continues to be a massive arse
· Luther/Diego/Five are DUMB and I love them
· “No, bro, he shanked your heart.”
· God the Handler!!!!!!
· THE MUSIC AT THE REUNION
· We didn’t even see Five reunite with Allison and Klaus!!!!!
· GOD WHAT A SISTERLY UPGRADE
· KLAUS VANYA AND ALLISON HUGGING
· Allison and Diego rights babey!!!
· Are the Swedes ever gonna say something or
· LILA AND FIVE TEAM-UP LET’S GO
· I’VE MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH I’M GONNA CRY BABY
· The red-blue dynamic in Luther and Diego I live for that
· Luther and Diego are gooooooood together
· What is up with that
· Klaus, Vanya and Allison are dumbasses and I love them so much
· Alright where are the Swedes doing and why is that tree so creepy
· Oh the youngest Swede just went tits-up
· Please tell me Five is finally getting a fight scene
· Excellent fight scene
· Great, now I feel sad for the Swedes
· They deffo have a cooler aesthetic than Hazel and Cha-Cha
· This cover is beautiful
EPISODE 6
· This wig looks better than Klaus’
· Also Ben has barely been in this season where is he at
· Oof Ray is so cute
· The Handler and Five have such good chemistry holy shit
· Diego, Luther and Vanya are a god-tier dynamic
· We love the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
· BENNY BOY HAS A CRUSH
· Wait how is this only episode six I feel like this is already the pensum of the first season
· Clothing montage baby!!!!!
· God they look so good together
· Oh Allison can be RUTHLESS
· THE BINGO CARDS
· Oh no no no no I didn’t think Klaus and Dave could be even more tragic
· THEY TALK
· God she is so fucking creepy stop lusting after a child
· World’s most satisfying elevator shot
· This scene is chaos I love it
· God everyone just harps on Diego’s daddy issues jesus
· Oh baby no
· Oh babies no
· NO NOT THE DISSOLUTION OF TEAM ZERO
· Why are there so many antisemitic dogwhistles in this
· This scene between Five and Reginald is good
· NOT ELLIOTT
· Oh no no no no Carl
· Alright at least this promises a good fight scene
EPISODE 7
· This polka music bops
· Wait how did he get to 1982
· HE SAID FUCK
· Man Carmichael was out so quick
· No fish-eating?
· Awwwww Klaus and Ben have a heart to heart
· Oh God, Diego and Luther have no brain activity between the two of them
· That is a Look
· Oh this montage of Ben rediscovering touch
· The writing of this show was oddly prophetic
· Oh wait Vanya’s gonna be incarcerated too right????
· Oh this is heart-breaking
· Really?????? Ben’s the dorky one???
· Oh my god Ben is getting a hug and Diego is so soft
· Man why are Five and Vanya so antagonistic
· FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT
· Dude a fight between them would have been so epic
· Diego
· You idiot
· Oh Allison really loves him and he loves her
· Oh I am so sad
· Yeah this episode is infinitely worse than the day that wasn’t
· FUCK YEAH BACKSTREET BOYS
· What the fuck
· Yo that is sadistic as fuck Allison what the flying fuck
· This scene might ruin the song for me
· There definitely was an easier way out
· They fucked it up
· I am not surprised
EPISODE 8
· Oh she speaks Russian
· Five just snapped and honestly deserves it
· Yeah I feel for the Swede
· What is it with commission assassins and axes this season
· “Your vagina needs fresh glasses.”
· Nepotism
· Oh Grace is turning on him baby!!
· Ha remember when we were all like ‘oh no they’re making Reggie sympathetic’
· Yeah so much for that
· Five and Luther are……..soft
· What the fuck is up with that
· AYYYY BUTTHOLE SURFERS ON THE SOUNDTRACK
· Oooooohhhhhhh trippy kid scene
· Also Reggie is bad at German
· I love Luther and Five so much
· We finally get to see older Five’s tie pattern
· Alright Lila makes me uncomfortable
· FIVE IS GONNA GO FERAL Y’ALL LET’S GO
· Man after the last rampage you’d think they’d upped security in this place
· Herb for president!!
· Some catch Diego’s ego is going berserk
· Oh not again
· Dot is a rebel now
· Everyone is ragging on Five, even Five
· This is so trippy
· Oh yeah the brains. Forgot about those.
· I……….sad
· Oh my god oh my god oh my god
· Of course it’s all the government’s fault
· Love how they just walked into an FBI building
· Bro what the fuck is going on
EPISODE 9
· Allison is always there for Vanya and I love her
· Hello Klaus and Diego are so cute
· Oh my heart you go Klaus
· So much for that
· BUT BEN
· YOU ARE CLIFF-HANGERING BE INSIDE AN EPISODE
· Crazy Five is an idiot I love him
· “I’m the daddy here” is not the gazelle, but it’ll do in a pinch
· The 743!!!!!!
· Oh God, Harlan is in danger
· She loves him?!? You barely know the man!!!!!!
· WHAT’S ON THE PAPER
· Oh it’s her file
· HELLO LET US SEE THE FIVES TYING TO OFF EACH OTHER
· This continues to be trippy
· These visuals are so stunning
· This is my favourite scene so far, this is so good, this is an excellent talk
· NO
· NOT BEN
· NOT BEN
· “I’m askin’, Carl.” You go Sissy, love you, you’re doing excellent
· Alright, we have a mini-Vanya here
· Oh I hate the Handler so fucking much she is the worst
· What a plot-twist
· Oh god so much is going on in this season
· Oh we get fish-eating, but it’s not Five? That’s lame
· Why are they all so hell-bent on making stupid decisions
· Klaus you idiot
· Oh that SON OF A BITCH HARGREEVES
· What the fuck what is on the dark side of the moon
· What the flying fuck what the fuck what tebdjbdgkbjdsgkbjgsdjgnj
· WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE GOING TO WAR
EPISODE 10
· Oh the kids are back for Ben’s funeral
· I hate this
· Reginald is just. The worst.
· My emotions are all over the place
· Oh……..babies
· OH MY GOD DIEGO
· AND FIVE
· It wouldn’t hurt to go to an abandoned farm
· God this is a family of shitty choices
· I don’t want Ben to be gone
· FAMILY TIME
· Oh shit I totally forgot about the last Swede
· BRO THE STAKES
· YEAH THIS LOOKS BAD
· ALRIGHT Harland is gonna be alright
· All these assassins have shit aim
· HE’S MATRIXING
· LILA’S ONE OF THE 43
· SHE CAN ABSORB AND REDIRECT THEIR ENERGIES
· ONE OF THEM ONE OF THEM ONE OF THEM
· Awwwwww they love each other
· Oh great THEY’RE DEAD AGAIN
· Oh now LILA will have to fix the timeline
· Wait now they’re all dead
· The swede to the rescue?
· Please tell me she’s dead for good this time
· We love a de facto protagonist saving everyone’s asses once more
· GO VANYA SAVE THE BABY
· Dot and Herb are precious dumbasses
· This is heart-breaking, but I understand Sissy so much
· WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS CLIFFHANGER
#tua spoilers#not that you'd understand much if you don't watch the episodes#personal#come yell at me in my inbox please
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Hyena Ep 16 ( Spoilers!)
Guys this is what I call a fantastic finale! I love love this couple and they have given us so many sweet moments:
From YHJ rushing the moment he heard JGJ have a nightmare to JGJ leaning towards him and let’s not forget we are blessed with the scene of them sleeping next to each other :’) I am squealing with happiness here. Although, they did not clearly show JGJ admittedly saying she still love HJ, her actions says otherwise. I choose to believe they are together and in the end married. From the credit scene, it seems as if they are bickering like husband and wife?? So yes, let me live in this fantasy. I’m a tiny bit disappointed there were no kiss scenes in the end but I’m still satisfied with this so it’s all good!
Also , let’s not forget that this duo is the power couple of 2020. They freaking tear Song Pil Jung into pieces just like hyenas and it is so damn satisfying!! I’m also so so happy all the OG members gathered and have dinner together. Even Yumi and Attorney Ga is there:’) It’s like a reunion , I’m actually tearing up here😭 I will really miss the cast and I’m sad that I will not have the excitement of waiting on friday and saturday for new episodes of Hyena 😢 But also , this drama has been concluded well so at least I’m happy on that!
It has been such a rollercoaster ride and I can say I definitely enjoyed this drama. Overall rating: 4.5 / 5 ✨
==
Favorite Characters/Group
Jung Geum Ja
I love JGJ okay , she is the epitome of a badass and very competent character but at the same she has vulnerability because of her past. For every cases, I was rooting for her to win. At the end, I believe she has finally moved on from her past and living happily with YHJ. And let me say Kim Hye Soo gave this character justice, she portray JGJ perfectly. I have to say no one can take this role other than her. I cannot picture anyone else. I have always been a fan of her ever since signal and she always have good chemistry with her male partner. She is the main reason why I watched Hyena.
Yoon Hee Jae
I love YHJ, he is the character who has convictions and he stood by it. He is also a very competent lawyer especially when he make his arguments in the trial, my goodness what charisma!! He loves passionately and is so expressive of his feelings that he almost seems like a kid sometimes. When I see a jealous Hee Jae, I always want to laugh . The way he always chased GJ and worry about her has made me really like YHJ. I mean he is so transparent isn’t he? And I find that very endearing. Plus this turn me into a fan of Ju Ji Hoon so I’ll definitely keep an eye out for his future works. This man can act and I thoroughly enjoys his varying expressions in this show!
Supporting Team H/Choong
I love this group dynamic. Everyone has their own skillset and even if they are just supporting characters, we did get to know them quite well. Love how they go from undermining JGJ ability as team leader to respecting her and even joining her firm and leaving the so called best law firm in Korea, Song & Kim. In the end, I really liked all of them even Attorney Ga who did betray HJ, but he redeemed himself also. So, it’s all good to me . From the Team, we get to see Attorney Boo being badass on the outside but a nervous mess in the inside, attorney Kim’s love for pork tripe, Ji Eun loyalty to JGJ and GPS provider to HJ, Attorney Na cute drunk habit and seemingly the maknae of the team, Attorney Ga supporting HJ and their strong friendship, and Park Joo Ho constant support in obtaining the evidence illegally for their cases hah XD
#sbs hyena#thankful for this drama at the start of the year#this has given me so much laughter and distraction from what has been going on right now#this drama is totally in my favorites list#dont mind me but I will be posting a lot of gifs from this show so#korean drama#thoughts
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Cole Sprouse talks Five Feet Apart, singing on-screen and Riverdale season 4
PopBuzz: One thing that surprised me about the film was how it’s so heartbreaking and yet so hopeful at the same time. It felt so different to other films that fit in the same genre. Was that something you guys wanted to make sure you got across? To show the light?
Cole Sprouse: Yeah I mean, first off, I think Justin's mission statement, our director, was always one of hope and the job for Haley and I was to try and shave off the natural romanticising that takes place within that genre into something that felt a little more grounded and honest for the characters. But the interpretive ending allowed us to have the audience sort of decide what they felt happened to the characters. I think Justin was in the mind that if you're gonna do a movie that hopefully is going to be viewed by the cystic fibrosis community, then the message we wanna give to them is one of hope, not necessarily one that felt on the darker side of that narrative.
PB: This is the first movie you’ve done in a long time. What was it about this film, and the role of Will in particular, that drew you back in?
CS: Well, I was pretty hesitant at first. And I think that's because this genre has the potential to do a lot of damage if it's sort of represented incorrectly. At the end of the day, it was really after I met with Justin and finding out how passionate he was about the cystic fibrosis community and the mission statement being one of hope that that kind of put all my trepidations to rest. In terms of career trajectory? To be honest, I've had that question a lot and I wish I'd been thinking about it. I wanted to work during the hiatus on Riverdale and this lined up perfectly with it. It just seemed like a good move at the time.
PB: I know you’ve spoken about the immense responsibility of telling the story of such a heavily underrepresented community, how much preparation did you undergo for the role? I know you said that physically it was a challenge for you as well.
CS: Yeah, we had the luxury of about a month and a half of prep and research, alongside the advice of actual patients with cystic fibrosis and medical professionals. With their advice, I had a physical regimen to get me into the kind of shape or image of a cystic fibrosis patient. And then of course they gave us a lot of time to understand the psychology of grappling with your mortality at a very young age and how that effects social foundation and relationship building.
PB: The reaction to the film on social media has been incredible so far. Has anyone from the community reached out to you about it yet? And what did they say?
CS: We got a lot of really really positive feedback from the CF community, it's very validating. Ultimately, you know, they're why we made the movie so their acceptance is the currency of the success in my opinion and I think that's been really reassuring. Before the movie had come out, there was a lot of fear that it would misrepresent the community or would do damage to the representation through the sheer notion of romance or encourage a dangerous sort of connection. But the community has been really really responsive to the representation that we have. Yeah, so really reassuring.
PB: That's amazing to hear. The film has such an incredible cast with Haley - who is brilliant - and of course, your little Disney Channel reunion with Moises Arias. How was it working with the two of them? You guys seemed to have such a great dynamic on-screen.
CS: Yeah, I think Haley and I kind of had the same idea of how we wanted to play the characters, which was way more grounded in realism than what could have been the kind of overacting that often comes within that genre. And we got along really well! It's one of those things were you roll the dice, you can have chemistry and you can try to do as much as possible, but you don't really know how the work environment is going to be alongside your co-stars until you're there. And we were lucky enough to have gotten a good roll on the dice and really get along quite well! Haley's talented, she's also a very giving actress - and I act in a very similar way. So, we both cared a lot. Considering the kind of content we were grappling with, we were able to validate one another.
PB: Well, speaking about the emotional heaviness of the script and the subject, how did you guys combat that on set? I just saw that you and Haley went on a strip club tour... which is amazing.
CS: We did!
PB: How else did you keep your spirits up?
CS: To be quite honest, when we were on set, there was a responsibility and an emotional continuity that we needed to keep in order to stay in it. And I'm of the mind that it's better not to take from that. Toward the end of production, we were able to loosen up a little bit after the more emotional scenes had taken place and we had finished those and moved onto the last week of the production cycle. We were able to let go a little bit. In terms of levity, we really didn't allow ourselves to fall into too much levity. To be honest, it felt kind of inappropriate to detach from that. But New Orleans is an incredibly vibrant and wonderful city with wonderful food and great drinking. A really great nightlife! And more bachelor and bachelorette parties than I have ever seen in my life.
PB: I bet!
CS: So it was fun to kind of get lost in that crowd.
PB: One of my favourite parts of the film is the scene where Will sings to Stella and it’s so great that I get to talk to you now because of course, in the musical episode of Riverdale,you sing! And it's incredible!
CS: Thanks!
PB: Previously, you said that it would take a lot for someone to get you to sing and now you’ve sung twice. What made you finally say, “yeah, I’m gonna do it”?
CS: To be honest, I think I was mis-quoted the first time I said that. What I actually said when I said I wouldn't sing is that, Disney Channel was asking me and my brother to drop an album for very many years. And that's what we didn't wanna do. I mean, I've sung on The Suite Life, I've sung on a couple other projects and you know, when it's in character, it's not a problem for me. When it's 'Cole Sprouse singing,' it becomes very strange and vulnerable. It's just a matter of making sense for the character in the moment. For Will, it was a matter of comforting Stella in the same way that she had been comforted and trying to bring a little joy to something incredibly frightening - like surgery. And for Jughead, it was a moment of incredible vulnerability and really a tragedy that kind of fit perfectly to the narrative.
PB: Yeah. Like you just said, it depends on the character but let’s say Jughead decided to let it all go for a night and get involved with karaoke at La Bonne Nuit... What’s the one song you do think he would get up and sing?
CS: Oh, man... you know that angsty emo kid would sing some Avenged Sevenfold or Panic! At The Disco. Something incredibly emo.
PB: Maybe a slam poetry version?!
CS: Oh, of course! He'd be the guy in like, the top hat and all the bracelets looking like an amateur musician doing slam poetry.
PB: Love it! So what's happening next for you? Hiatus is coming up, you're still working on Riverdale now, you've got your photography, anything else lined up? Any other acting gigs?
CS: Yeah! I have one little project that I can't speak too much about lined up for the hiatus. I'd like to manoeuvre my way through the film thing where I'd like to do at least one film a year and it be of a more artistic calibre than a kind of commercial one. I've done Five Feet Apart and it was a commercial project, Riverdale is such a mainstream project that I'd like to live within the independent life for a bit. And then, a lot of photography! Honestly, I haven't stopped working for the last 3 years. So in the event I just sit on the couch for the whole time, I think that would be a welcome relaxation at this point.
PB: Absolutely! My last question, I hope you don’t mind, it’s about Riverdale…
CS: Sure!
PB: We’re winding down toward the end of season 3, there's been some huge shockwaves being sent through Jughead’s home life with his mum right now. Where do you want to see Jughead’s story go in season 4? Because he's changed so much. What do you think is ahead for him?
CS: I think when Riverdale is at its strongest it's about the characters, their dynamics, their personal narratives and their relationships with one another. And I think Jughead asking himself how his family has affected him is what I'd kind of like to see. But I also think I'd love to see a Jughead that feels kind of like a season one Jughead, which is much more of a quiet sort of monologue side. I think there's a lot of potential and a lot of interesting narratives this season in the form of FP and Jughead teaming up and playing the True Detective crime investigator father/son duo. I think there's something really enjoyable about Jughead being the brain and FP being the brawn of that investigation. That's something I'd personally like to see going into season 4.
PB: And I mean, seeing as you’re finally showing off those vocals how about a lead in the next musical episode?
CS: Ha! Oh man, I'm not trying to trying to grease any wheels on that - if it makes sense for the character, it makes sense for the character. But I could spent the rest of my life not singing on screen and being totally content with that.
PB: You were fantastic in the musical episode!
CS: Oh, I appreciate that.
PB: It really was a lovely moment between Betty and Jughead, and so nice to watch.
CS: Yeah, I think that's a really pretty scene and I'm glad it turned out that way.
Source: Popbuzz
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"I Can Help You": the Build-Up to & Significance of 2x07's Villaneve Sex[ish] Scene
of COURSE i am going to write about this. before we get started though, i wanted to tell you all that while @villainever is still running, i will be mostly posting from my brand-new primary, @villanevest (this blog). so follow me for the same stupid memes, and check the "villanevest writes" tag if you're interested in more of these essays :D alright. now let's get going.
killing eve is an extremely versatile show, and that's absolutely a credit to the writers being willing to follow the characters and their relationships, which allows the narrative to develop in a simultaneously organic and deeply compelling way. the greatest complexity of the series is also its primary draw: the dynamic between villanelle and eve, and its evolution. in this mini-essay, we're going to step through why -- I believe -- the construction of the sex scene as two separate but synchronised encounters is the best choice for killing eve right now, and how they've accelerated towards it since the pilot.
from the beginning, villanelle and eve have been all about parallels. the first time we see villanelle in the ice-cream shop, she's spaced-out, bored, a vacant observer. the first time we see eve, she's asleep. these scenes are very deliberately presented to us, one after another: here, we have two women who feel displaced and alienated. neither of them is lonely, not exactly; they have people in their lives. what they lack is real, significant passion, something beyond the routine -- for villanelle, that "routine" is a lot more dramatic, certainly, but nonetheless, they're both numbed out, but until they meet each other, they're not really aware of that.
and then we have that moment in the hospital bathroom. it's not a coincidence that they're standing in front of a mirror, confronted with each other, and themselves. the composition of this visual directly implies that villanelle and eve are not just alike, but inherently complementary. in many ways, eve is a reflection of villanelle, and villanelle is a reflection of eve -- that is, opposite, but also identical.
it's not until later that they really understand the importance of this two-second conversation, but it's the first breath of an obsession that will span continents and become literally life and death.
eve and villanelle discover each others' real identities at the same time, in a montage that draws focus again to these similarities between them and their experiences. but this is when their respective trajectories towards each other begin to progress separately and distinctly. the reason for this is that while villanelle is unquestionably the "cat" in this cat-and-mouse equation, at this point, she is also the one being chased, and eve is in pursuit. for most of the first season, villanelle has more information about and power over eve than vice-versa. for eve, who still has niko, she is seduced into the thrill of villanelle through that prescribed pursuit, and for a little while, that's enough for her. but villanelle doesn’t have such a set structure, and -- once she knows eve's name and eve's face -- almost immediately begins seeking out copies.
the first copy she constructs is herself, signing in as "eve polastri" while working in berlin. this is mostly a stunt to get eve's attention -- the first of many (amsterdam, anyone?) -- but it compounds on 1x01's thematic suggestion of their compatibility. the second copy, however, is perhaps the most blatant example of this: the woman from the tour group who sleeps with villanelle in 2x03. villanelle tells her she "loves her [American] accent", and gets her to take her hair down, and then goes on to actually call her eve.
villanelle's interest in superficially recreating eve fades fairly early, after eve gets out of the car to confront villanelle when villanelle is absolutely armed and definitely dangerous, for no apparent reason other than she wants to. villanelle scares her off with a warning shot (even though she could've very easily killed her at this point), but then doubles back the next episode, with the kitchen sequence from 1x05.
villanelle says she "just wants to have dinner with [eve]", but i think this evening really exceeds her expectations. prior to this, she was very interested in eve, obviously, but after it, villanelle's infatuation becomes both more significant and more mature, and so does eve's. they've got chemistry when they're together, not just in the tension of being apart.
BUT. so, so much of their story is spent apart. season one is a blur of glimpsed profiles and silhouettes, with only the bathroom, the kitchen, and finally villanelle's apartment providing them sites to briefly interact. at the end of 1x08, villanelle tells eve, "i masturbate about you a lot", but eve denies doing the same, which is probably true, in the sense that eve still believes she doesn’t (actively, at least) consider villanelle in a sexual way.
then season two picks up, and they're apart again. only they're less apart than they were before. villanelle is right when she assures gabriel that eve stabbed her to "show [her] how much she cares about [her]". while it was barely premediated, and i don't think eve necessarily viewed it as a confession, it absolutely is; a confession of who she really is, and that that person is irrevocably linked to villanelle. in stabbing villanelle, eve puts the first truly irreversible crack in her façade of normality; she can't go back now, not all the way. the show doesn't really linger on this, though, because it's so obvious that eve doesn't WANT to go back.
as reticent as i am to quote shakespeare, i will make an exception for this case, and take utterly out of context the line, "these violent delights have violent ends". for eve and villanelle, they need the violent delights and violent ends alike; sex and destruction and obsession and pain are integral to their characters. why? because i think such extreme emotions and acts break through that nothingness, that fugue villanelle talks about in 2x06.
and so the stab wound -- which villanelle proudly shows off to niko in 2x05 -- becomes something of a pact between them. to eve, it means villanelle affects her strongly enough to push her out of herself (except really, into herself), and to villanelle, it means eve can exist in her world, can challenge and surprise her, can interrupt the boredom with these bright spots of total involvement and utter fascination. and since we’ll be talking about parallels later -- in 2x02, villanelle caressing her wound in the bathtub is juxtaposed with eve tracing the heart carved into the train table. i think a “carved heart” is pretty much the wound is, too.
from the pilot, villanelle and eve's relationship is an intricate dance of towards/away, together/apart. over the story, over each direct and indirect crossing of their paths, they become more towards, less away; more together, less apart. after season one, particularly 1x08, they have this permanent and indelible connection.
but they're still consistently positioned as unable to reach one another. villanelle calls MI6, but they won't send her through to eve. eve arrives, but misses villanelle, and villanelle watches through the transparent but very real barrier of the car window, literally passing her by. then we have them separated by only a door in 2x03, and so many other instances of close-but-not quite.
it's worth bringing up at this juncture that while the villaneve plotline is happening, villanelle and eve each have their own individual character arcs, so while they keep glancing off each other and being torn apart in practice, they are steadily gravitating to a middle ground mentally and emotionally. i'll come back to this idea.
in 2x05, we have yet another mirror/reflection, as the kitchen scene is revisited. having this reunion in the same setting as their first foregrounds how their relationship has changed. eve isn't anxious or fearful or on the back foot. she's the one who brings villanelle to her home, not the other way around, as it was last time. she reaches out to villanelle, she's confident enough to take the pills, and she doesn't hesitate before saying "yes" when villanelle asks if eve will give her everything she wants. the "yes" is easy, because whether eve is quite ready to admit it or not, what villanelle wants is what eve wants.
then villanelle helps eve with the ghost, and going forward, they're able to regularly collaborate, in their own off-beat fashion. so after 2x05, villanelle and eve are more or less settled as fixtures in their respective lives. there's still the dance, but there's no real chase. they've drawn abreast of one another. they've caught up. and this is where we circle back to the idea of copies.
like i said, ever since eve has been real to villanelle, copies have been insufficient. but she still can't have eve, not entirely, and not exactly how she wants, so she escalates to proxies. in 2x06, villanelle mouths, "ready?" to eve, right before pushing amber's bodyguard in front of the truck. i'm not trying to imply that villanelle wants to push eve in front of a truck -- but as i said earlier, villanelle and eve intersect at this overlap of violent delights/violent ends. sex and death. she asks her Copy Eve in 2x03 "ready?" in just the same way. villanelle is demonstrating her faith in the depth of their connection in the extremity of her actions. she's proving to eve that they're for-better-or-worse now. she's not afraid that killing someone right in front of eve will drive her away; she knows it'll suck her in.
so what's the significance of the shift from copies to proxies? the copies were for villanelle -- a stand-in so that she could act out her desires. it's much more reflective of the "i / it": if someone looked like eve, then it was almost as if she had the real thing, right? but her affection for eve mutates into something much harder for her to manage, and "it" very quickly becomes "eve", and she can't produce a facsimile that can hold a candle to "me / eve". but the proxies aren't for villanelle, they're for eve. if villanelle's not allowed to touch eve yet, then she's using the proxies to say, "this is how much i care. this is how much i want you." and on a subliminal level at least, if not a conscious one, i think eve interprets it that as such.
then, finally, we get to 2x07. we have a repetition of the phone call from 2x02, and just as carolyn played eve the recording of villanelle's MI6 call, villanelle listens to eve's voicemails. in this instance, they haven't missed each other. they're already together. the "9 missed calls, 3 voicemails" are an overture across space, but not across distance. this is about breaching an emotional gap, not a physical one. eve and villanelle are around each other often now, but it takes their being apart again to highlight just how much that proximity has allowed them to evolve.
in the restaurant in rome, we again have the visual of eve reaching out, villanelle catching her hand, and them meeting in the middle.
which brings us to The Scene.
it follows villanelle's crucial conversation with aaron (which I wrote about here), and that gives her a last little push.
note: we have to remember that the bug that eve is listening through is only one way. while this might seem like a let-down, in that villanelle couldn't hear eve, i think it's actually really significant. because it shows how well villanelle knows eve, how much effort she puts into understanding her, and how easily she remembers things about her. in 2x06, eve was interjecting via the comms throughout almost the entirety of the aaron-villanelle-amber dinner conversation. that and the voicemails exemplify eve's involvement and propensity to hover, which is a result of her natural controlling tendencies, and how consumed she is with villanelle. so even though villanelle had no way of knowing that eve was listening, she knew anyway. she was sure with no feedback or guarantee.
i love how they set this eve/hugo encounter up during previous episodes. it's something of a checkov's gun situation -- that is, the principle that if you introduce an idea (e.g. hugo's sexual interest in eve), then you need to bring it to fruition. what the writers did so well, though, is that we thought hugo had already served his purpose as a romantic/sexual option -- when he leans in to kiss eve in 2x04 and she doesn't lean away, we have evidence of how little commitment she still has to her marriage. but now he becomes eve's proxy.
so why have eve hookup with hugo, and not villanelle? well, there are a lot of reasons.
firstly, eve and villanelle having sex, or even kissing, would be a very significant development for the show, and have massive implications for the narrative. as a result, it would need a lot of build-up. the circumstances would need to be perfect. while eve is no longer shying from her attraction to villanelle, i think a mixture of adrenaline and tension would have to reach terminal velocity (probably by introducing an external stressor, like a fight or escape) for eve to actually step over that line. i don't think that, at this point, it's something she'd do with a perfectly clear head. she's too aware of how precarious the current balance is, and probably (quietly) also too afraid that giving in would mean villanelle's obsession would have closure, and thus die off. the episode just didn't have the minutes to generate that situation, and the plot didn't give an avenue for it.
secondly, it gives the writers a lot more room to play with the respective aftermaths. this way, they get to bring in
1) a fallout of some kind between hugo and eve. hugo's been very laissez-faire all season about sex, about boredom, etc., going on about how he understands why eve took the job at MI6, and her interest in villanelle. but until this point, it's been pretty much all fun and games, all james bond for hugo. and then he's going to have this moment where he realises he and eve AREN'T alike. he's a good-time guy, a bit selfish, and smart enough to need an entertaining career to keep stimulated. eve? it goes SO much further than that for eve. she really is on that sociopathy/psychopathy spectrum, and she needs this to feel awake, to feel anything. in their sex scene, their dynamic flickered into an "i / it" for eve, because hugo as a person didn't really matter at all. he's going to see the exact scope and depth of eve's obsession, and he'll realise she's gone beyond where he can follow. first niko, then hugo -- they're both ferrymen who tag along for a piece of eve's journey, but ultimately stay behind. they give an important reference point for the audience; they act as thresholds we see eve pass -- here, something niko can't condone; now, something hugo won't do.
2) the no-morning-after for villaneve. this doesn't relieve any of the sexual tension, it ratchets it up. like the stab wound, this connects them, but it doesn't resolve anything. the writers now have so many options: maybe a little awkwardness from eve (unlikely), intensifying chemistry (very likely), perhaps denial, or a desperation to get alone and take things to the next level. this didn't close a door, it opened several. they'll be able to draw villaneve out even more, and they'll neatly sidestep both audience expectation and television tradition. it's their game now.
here, hugo also has metaphorical signifiance -- he's the human cost of villaneve. over the course of the show, bodies, careers, and relationships have all imploded to get villaneve even just close enough to touch. villanelle and eve are using hugo directly just as they've indirectly used many others.
note: symbolically, as well, villanelle is in eve's head. this feeds into the notion of obsession -- since the pilot, villanelle has consumed eve's thoughts, and now she's actually there.
finally, above all, i believe this encounter perfectly fits the current phase of their relationship, and its evolution. it's the culmination of copies and proxies and distance. like i said, that apartness is just as critical to villaneve as the togetherness. they are as made of their negative space as they are of their lines and colours. and here they are: after pretending different people are each other, after being pressed together but stepping away again, after using others as mediums to express themselves, after being chased and caught, lost and found. here they are: together and apart at once.
not only is this thematic, it's romantic, in its own twisted way. fifteen episodes later, they are even sharper reflections of each other than they were when they met. they're in sync even with such little communication, and that stands in contrast to their additional relationships. niko and eve could be in the same room, talking directly, and be less connected.
and that's kind of tragic -- that eve went through so much of her life NOT wide awake, that niko spent years with someone who wasn't really WITH him. villanelle and eve are all hot and cold, entirely comprised of extremes, because that's what they NEED to feel alive. villanelle says in 2x06, "like us, you mean". and that's exactly it: fundamentally, villanelle and eve are the same kind, and that's why they are so good together. it's how they stay so good apart.
will these violent delights have violent ends? unquestionably. but those ends will be new beginnings. eve won't go back to sleep. villanelle could never cope with being bored again. they'll push and pull, fight and fuck, get mad and get in deeper, inextricable. they'll keep chasing the delights and weathering the consequences, getting wilder and wilder until something happens that they can't shake off or walk away from. but that's how they are, that's how they're happy, and that's the only way they can be.
i hope all this held together! I had a lot of thoughts and it was hard to compress into one short essay, so I know it seems like a lot of disconnected threads rip. as always, reply/ask/message me with ideas/requests if you have something you want me to talk about! thank you to everyone who has commented nice things on my previous posts; it makes me want to write more and it’s nice to know someone’s reading :D
#ke#killing eve#villainever writes#villanevest writes#villanevest#killing eve analysis#ke analysis#ke essays#villanelle#villaneve#eve polastri#hugo ke#hugo killing eve#killing eve 2x07#ke 2x07#villanelle x eve#eve x villanelle#killing eve s2#killing eve season 2#commentary
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Titans 2x04 review
I am back againnnn. I think I may hold an unpopular opinion about this episode, but I actually enjoyed it. For me personally, if they’ve brought in Deathstroke who the OG Titans faced, then I think it’s only right that they give us a flashback episode and show us what happened, so that we the audience know just how much tension and WHY there is so much tension between the OG team and Dick but also the OG team and Deathstroke.
Now, what I liked about the episode:
- Jericho is the sweetest person. He was literally minding his own business, cooking meals for his mother, fanboying over Bowie, being such a sweet dude. I mean how could Slade just kill his son like that? I kinda have an idea that maybe Jericho died because Slade thought he was working with the Titans, or that maybe the Titans decided to use him as bait for Slade (which I think is horrible, but I’m also thinking that maybe they didn’t believe Slade would actually kill him). Either way I’m really intrigued.
- Garth and Donna. Man oh man, was I really rooting for this couple. Their acting, their chemistry, I loved to see all of it. The thing I liked about them was that the reason why Donna was keeping him at arms length made a whole lot of sense; she was leaving for Themyscira in 6 months, he was soon leaving for Atlantis. But the telling thing was, in all his pursuits for her she never said she never liked him, in fact you could see just how much she did, so it made you root for them to find a way to make their relationship work. I really wish he hadn’t died though, not only because I believe they would have made such a great couple, but also because I was invested in finding out more about him. Two scenes that legit took my breath away; one, when Donna realised that he was responsible for her finding that damn Clown fish and two, obviously that whole scene when he dies and she runs to him and he catches her and their smiling and you think everything is gonna be okay and then BANG. I was shook.
- Slade is evil, point blank, but he’s also a really remarkable character and Esai kills it as him. Hats off to that casting director because they did a really good job in booking him. It’s really worrying though because I don’t know how the hell the Titans are gonna take him down this time. All I know is that they’re ALL gonna have to come together because whew lord, this man. In current time, I also don’t know how the hell they’re gonna get Jason back. Which wouldn’t have even happened if the team were functioning as teams should, but lemme not speak on that too much.
- I enjoyed seeing the dynamics of how the original team played out. When they went out in their uniforms they seemed to be really in sync with each other and know their roles. Them as civilians though, there was something that didn’t flow so right.
- I also really love Dick Grayson. He gets a LOT of shit which I don’t think is at all fair or even justified. He is my baby boy, the love of my life, and I will root for him when people aren’t treating him right. Which I don’t think is gonna stop any time soon. Also, that ending? Curious... What’s the plan with Jericho... I also loved his scenes with Donna, you can tell how close their relationship is, how they are literally like a brother/sister duo and it’s so refreshing. I also thought it was touching how Dick knew there were no words for him to say that would make Garth’s death less of a blow, so to show his love he looked for the person responsible to offer to Donna. He basically gave her someone and something to let her anger out at - which was kind of what Batman did for him.
What I didn’t like;
- Listen. I’m tired of seeing Dick and Dawn. Their relationship was whack, it lacked the chemistry, the passion, the connection. Dawn is also starting to get on my nerves. You are in a relationship with Dick Grayson, I would think being in a relationship with someone means you know their fragile parts, you know what they are sensitive about. You know damn well this man doesn’t have a good relationship with Batman, you KNOW he is conflicted with what Batman has taught him. And yet you knowingly open your mouth and tell him to be the very thing you know he is wrestling with. It makes no sense. And what’s even more annoying, is that when he becomes more like Batman i.e. more focused on the mission, less open with emotion, you pull away and it leads to a break up. You cannot tell someone to be half one thing and half of another thing and then get mad because it’s no longer convenient for you. Or, lets look it another way using Hank and Dawn’s current situation. Dawn says that Hank should leave the vigilante life because he’s clearly suffering (fair enough), but then lets say if someone in the team were to die, you tell him to go back to being a vigilante (which you know is his addiction) and then you get mad when he starts to become obsessive with it. It does not make any sense to me. I don’t know whether it’s visible, but I’m genuinely aggravated by it.
Just as a side note to this, because I cannot refrain from mentioning my ship; Kory would have never told him to be Batman. Ever since they met she’s always wanted him to be the best version he can be. Even in Trigon’s dream when Dick wanted to stay and search for Batman, it was Kory who was like ‘yo, you’ve got a wife and a kid, go home and be with them. this life isn’t for you anymore’. Dick and Kory’s connection is so pure, you can literally see the hearts in this man’s eyes when he looks at her, he is completely enamoured. Just them standing next to each other is so powerful.
- The timeline between Hank/Dawn/Dick confused me. Did Dawn and Hank break up after they beat up that pedophile, then she got with Dick (at the same time as the Titans were formed), and then somehow Hank got involved in the Titans, and then Dick and Dawn broke up and then Hank and Dawn got back together. The movements are too wild for me.
(Also, another side note, I do actually like Dawn but there are things she’s doing that I can’t get behind)
What I hope to see next week:
- Kory’s reunion. I know they have to deal with Jason and figure out a way to save him. But so help me God, if they don’t give me a emotional and tender dickkory reunion I will riot. It has been WAY too long. I already know Kory’s reunion with Rachel and Gar will be great, so I’m not to worried about it.
- I also hope we see more Gar. I’m actually gonna fight someone with the lack of Gar scenes we’re getting. The writers are moving mad. There is so much content you can give for Gar and yet we’re not seeing any of it? I want to see him changing to more animals, I want to see the tension between him and Dick being talked about ffs, I want him to have his own agency.
- Next week is gonna be a wild one. I wonder how Dick will react when Gar tells him the news? Obviously it’s not gonna be a good reaction. How will Gar himself handle it. How will the rest of them handle it? I’m really looking forward to it.
#titans season 2#titans live action#dick grayson#koriand'r#dickkory#donna troy#garth#dawn granger#hank hall#slade wilson#deathstroke#jericho wilson#G's review#my thoughts
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The Semiotics of Roswell (aka why Malex is Endgame because the camera says so)
One of the things I’m most grateful for about the Roswell fandom that I’ve met through Tumblr is the renewed passion I found for my degree subject, something I thought I’d fallen out of love with because of the pain associated with my time at university. Turns out I just needed to separate what I’d learned and what I loved from what I’d experienced. And Roswell (and @signoraviolettavalery, in particular) really helped reshape that.
Now, I know y’all are here for some meta, and this is just boring exposition. I’d originally planned on just keysmashing something as I’ve done in the past on other people’s posts and re-blogs but I thought I better try and be consistent.
One last thing before I dive in, like any other interpretation of a text, semiotics is influenced by the viewer, their experiences, their history and their take. It means that people might - and probably will - disagree with the way that I’ve viewed this, but discourse is discourse and I’d be interested to hear other views. For further reading on semiotics, I’d suggest starting with any of these books ( Metz, Christian (1974). Film language: A semiotics of the cinema. University of Chicago Press. Monaco, James (2000). How to read a film: the world of movies, media, and multimedia: language, history, theory. USA: Oxford University Press. Chandler, Daniel (1994). Semiotics for Beginners.).
I’m gonna work an episode at a time and will be focusing mainly on the visual narrative of Malex, since that’s predominantly my ship, but also looking at it through the way it’s parallelled with Echo and Michael/Maria which means there will probably be a fair bit of Echo content. What started out as a way of making a friend feel better is now a monster. You can blame her.
This is gonna be image heavy. You have been warned!
The first time we’re introduced to what we know will be a romantic pairing is Max and Liz at the checkpoint. This is a well-known trope for heterosexual couples; two characters of opposite genders meet in a location in the first episode you can be pretty confident that they’ll hook up before the show is over. Same goes for movies; boy meets girl, there’s bound to be love there somewhere. Or at the very least, sex.
What this also does is begins to set up a visual narrative that lasts across the show that can be referenced when we know a romantic pairing is going to be on the screen. (NB: this is important to note that there will always be other shots where characters are in this position that are not romantically linked, however, the regularity of their placement is what is being called out here, and in Malex’s case - which I’ll get to eventually, so stick with me - there’s an absolute consistency in their framing which is too precise to be accidental)
Max is shown on the left-centre of the frame here, and Liz on the right-centre. Compare these two images with the ones below.
Both are completely on the same side of the shot which in terms of reading the framing indicates that, romantically, they are no longer on the same page. There’s an unevenness in the camera angles here, too which is partly about perspective (i.e. when we look at Max, we’re looking up as Liz is and vice versa) but in a wider context, it also shows a power dynamic (and this is important for later). In this scene, as a police officer, Max has the power. (Think later to the scene in 1x13 where Max and Liz are intimate and a vast majority of the camera angles are shot up at her from Max’s position).
The closeness of these shots is intimate; if we didn’t know the setting of these, we might not have assumed that there’s a physical barrier between them as there’s no real indication of one. The close-up shots are tight on their faces and not so much on the environment around them, focusing the audience to narrow in on their faces.
It’s also a highly unusual move to have a switching POV shot keeping the same angle regardless of who’s POV we’re seeing the scene from which just further highlights that this is telling us categorically that Max and Liz - though romantically entangled (TV Trope 101) - are not right now on the same page. If they were, ironically, they would be on opposite sides of the screen.
When we bring another character in, Sheriff Valenti is more centralised in her framing, and the angle at which she is shot (from Liz’s POV still as we’re inside the car) is immediately less intimate, there’s more space and as an audience we’re made aware of the barrier of the frame of the car door. The close up is even a little less intense here, we see more of Sheriff Valenti’s shoulder in the over-the-shoulder shot of Liz’s face, and we see more of Liz’s car. It’s a reminder, it’s breaking that spell of MaxandLiz that we had earlier by physically creating distance.
What is important, though, is this shot below and it took me a while to realise but Max is reflected in her car window and here is a perfect example of them sharing a shot with a defined side. It’s literally seconds, but they’re on either side of the shot here and even though we can’t see Max (other than in his reflection - and honestly I only noticed when looking through screencaps), we know she’s looking at him. The obvious imagery here is that Max is, literally, in her rear window; he’s part of her past, but it also shows that he’s a part of her life despite her having attempted to move on.
This image is also key in another way; it sets up the beginning of the visual dynamic for this show’s couples that I’m going to call Your Side My Side.
One of the other on screen romantic (sort of) dynamics set up in this is Liz and Kyle. Comparing their framing (over the shoulder, opposite sides) to the Max and Liz (over the shoulder, same side) gives us a clue into the route their relationship is going to take. He’s framed similarly to Sheriff Valenti; Kyle’s in the middle of the shot here, when it would have been just as easy to have him off to one side of the frame and it would have lost no narrative impact. However, there’s none of the my side your side here, since the two of them share the middle of the screen.
In this shot (haha, and it’s a terrible screencap of Jeanine’s beautiful face and for that I AM SORRY), Liz is pretty much bang-smack in the middle of the shot, but both she and the back of Kyle’s head are sharing the same space in the frame and they’re on the same side of the image. You never see Echo or Malex sharing the same side of the shot while they’re both in it, they’re always paralleled on opposite sides (which we’ll see, for example, in the first toolshed scene where they’re sat side-by-side but on either side of the frame).
What’s set up with Kyle & Liz is a narrative that they are not to be framed romantically. Though they hook up, their shots are largely framed in a similar way with them sharing space in the frame.
Now, the reason you’re all here: Malex.
This next few screenshots don’t need as much dissection as the kissing ones, but hey, we’ll spend some time looking at everyone’s pretty faces :D
Michael and Alex have their own sides of the screen - Alex on the right, Michael on the left. What’s interesting here is the closeness of the shots, the character that isn’t in focus is just as dominant on the screen as the one that is; Michael takes up almost half of Alex’s shot (above) and Alex does take up half of Michael’s shot (below)
After they both look at Master Sgt Manes (which is a shot of the two of them in the middle, Master Sgt looking on - setting up the voyeuristic element Malex that I touch on in the video break down) the camera gives them some distance from each other, though the focus and shot type doesn’t change, Alex and Michael barely fit in the frame with each other.
Though we don’t fully know what’s going on, past Michael’s spiteful comments about being a ‘real Manes man’ (and since he’s set up as a fuck-authority character it’s easy to assume that it’s all it is, he’s angry at the fact that The Man is on his property telling him what to do, fuck the man! Well, fuck that man in particular, please, in the airstream I missed you so much and how dare you be here with him.) it’s not until the ‘run and tell your daddy’ that we as an audience realise that there’s likely more going on here. The shift in framing is indicating that it’s Alex putting distance between them, which is a common theme in their relationship for the rest of the season. His face is still in Michael’s shot (above), but only Michael’s shoulder is in Alex’s (below).
Though we’re setting up a precedent for Alex putting distance between them, Michael’s the one that shuts down the interaction in this scene by disappearing into the airstream. He’s the first to break it.
Having set up the my-side-your-side dynamic for Malex in their first interaction, their meeting again at the reunion is interesting because it shows a shift - already - in their interactions. We find that the right-left dynamic is constant unless there’s a power shift or something significant, both of which we see before the Malex kiss.
Here, they’re shot on the same side of the frame (Alex’s side). Alex has come to the reunion thinking that Michael’s doing something wildly illegal considering what his scientists found (and honestly, with Carina confirming Alex’s costume was wrong in the pilot and then in 1x02 seeing Alex with Captain Bars on his collar it makes me so happy he’s outranked his shit-bag father). They’re no longer even remotely on the Same Page. Alex is angry and confused and disappointed; Michael is better than some back-alley meth lab in the middle of a dairy ranch.
The sudden shift in their camera angles - the mid-shot that falls back further when Alex grabs Michael’s arm (as Michael’s looking to get away from Alex again, for the second time in this episode) and holds him close gives us another dizzying shift.
The my-side-your-side changes (below) and the camera pulls in intimately close for the ‘you’re wasting your life’ and ‘does the macho cowboy swagger thing ever get old’.
Alex is turned into Michael (above) but Michael’s not facing Alex, not turned away. “you tryna hold my hand, private?” even though he doesn’t have the physical distance - and the camera doesn’t let him have that either, it’s close and tight and suffocating and Michael can’t escape it even if he wanted to - he can joke, he can look away, he can keep distance between their heads.
Alex has the power in that screenshot above; Alex is the one that grabbed Michael. Alex is the one still holding him.
In the below shot, however - this is a split second before Michael says ‘did it get old for you?’ - we’re treated to the same shot as above but reversed. They’re back on their own sides of the screen and Michael’s reclaimed the power in the scene. When using ‘private’ in an offensively flirtatious manner didn’t work, he drops his voice and all but purrs in Alex’s ear a question (that probably was meant to be mocking and actually ends up being a little more broken than he intended it to be (is that why you left? did you get bored of me? was I not enough?) but it’s enough. Alex is visibly rocked by it and the camera - since it stays so tight on them, swings out a second later to reveal Michael walking away to wrap his arms around another girl, with the framing still being quite visibly your-side-my-side.
Now, let’s talk about the real reason everyone’s here; the Malex kiss. I can’t work out how to embed a youtube video in an already image-heavy post and as I was writing I realised that fuck I have too much to say about it to stick into this already busy as heck post so I’m gonna dissect that separately and focus on stills here, but I’ll link to that post, too. (It’s here, by the way, if you wanna see it and breaks this scene down into TINY PIECES).
The my-side-your-side is constant here, and honestly, the video post I made explains it in a lot more detail but I’ve started so I’ll finish. The blue wash of this entire scene is meant to encourage a sense of calm - and how we move from Alex being backlit with red (below, where he’s saying ‘we’re not kids anymore, what I want doesn’t matter) to being completely swamped in blue like Michael is is representative of the change in Alex from ‘must not kiss Michael’ to swaying into Michael’s orbit and holding onto him because he needs it as much as Michael does. (You can tear the headcanon that they’re soulmates and linked on a fundamental, cosmic level from my cold dead hands).
We’re meant to focus more on Alex’s face in this section, which is why Alex has a few more close-up shots (and eh, who can blame us for wanting more of Tyler’s pretty face? Pfft) and we’re able to watch the journey of resistance (red) to acceptance and calm and serenity and home (blue) as he moves forward into Michael’s space and accepts Michael into his.
This kiss is epic. You can’t deny that. The framing is soft-focused and the camera lingers, allows us to really zoom in on the moment and focus on what’s happening: the intensity of the moment. I’ve talked about this a lot, but the way the camera swings to catch up with Michael as he surges into Alex and then goes still is - imo - representative of how Alex stabilises Michael’s world, soothes it right down. The world rocks on its axis when their lips first touch, when their bodies collide, but then it all goes still and calm as Michael’s entropy changes. The blue helps foster that, too, it’s calming and soothing and tranquil. It’s safety and security. And it’s home.
With Jesse Manes’ words about love being spoken over this (below) shot and not over Echo (who have a cute handprint moment but it’s not the same), the show is choosing to put a focus and emphasis on the fact that this, right here, is a cosmic, epic love that cannot - and will not - be denied. Alex can’t run from who he is (as the soundtrack said while he was looking at a picture of his out-and-proud teenage self) and they can’t run from this (as the soundtrack says, again). This is it for them. And this is it for us, too, as viewers. We’re getting it set up in the very beginning that this is a cosmic love story, that it has history and pain but that it is love. That’s important to remember: we are told at the very beginning that Michael and Alex love each other. It doesn’t matter that they also sets up a paradigm of the two of them almost saying what they mean but never actually saying the words. “What I want doesn’t matter” - I want you. “I never look away, not really” - I love you. “It was late, I was tired” - I stayed because this is safe for me, you are home. What we are TOLD EXPLICITLY is that Michael and Alex love each other.
Hold onto that, folks. Because the visual narrative does not change.
(tagging, by request, @i-never-look-away, @stydiaeverafter, @signoraviolettavalery, @saadiestuff. If you wanna be tagged in future meta, let me know!)
#roswell new mexico#rnm#roswell new mexico cw#alex manes#michael guerin#max evans#liz ortecho#hannah uses her degree#hannah writes#malex#echo#maria deluca#semiotics#roswell cinematography#i have no idea what else to tag this as#semiotics of roswell#meta#my meta#visual meta
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I just finished reading Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, as expected.
If anybody was holding back because they hadn’t yet read Thrawn but they’re still excited or curious about the Thrawn and Anakin or the Thrawn and Vader team up, there’s not really any need. Alliances stands alone very well.
(some spoilers to follow, both for the novel itself and references to the end of Rebels)
I wouldn’t even say that Season 3 of Rebels is necessarily required viewing to read Alliances, though it does set the scene. The novel picks up shortly after the finale of S3, so there are some Rebels spoilers, but fairly old ones (I mean, you could probably deduce that Thrawn doesn’t capture the Ghost crew at the end of S3 by the fact that a S4 exists, right?)
It also confirms that Vader stepped back from the pursuit of Kanan and Ezra at the end of S2 because Palpatine tugged on the leash and smacked him with a rolled up newspaper. Vader is fixated on Thrawn’s inability to capture the Spectres at Atollon, going so far as to suspect that Thrawn might be a Jedi sympathizer. Ironically of course, this isn’t completely untrue. Vader knows that Thrawn had been a willing ally to Anakin once, and that the two had parted in mutual respect at least, if not tenuous friendship. It’s just that Thrawn’s sympathies don’t necessarily dictate Thrawn’s actions.
On some level, Vader is asking the same question that the reader might be asking (and I’ve asked as a reader many times): how can Thrawn, a keenly intelligent, charismatic person of some degree of principle, serve Palpatine, who is clearly very evil? Vader’s ongoing question is whether Thrawn’s first loyalty is to the Empire, or whether ultimately he still has a higher loyalty to the Chiss Ascendancy. And in the deepest, most hidden part of Vader where Anakin still lives, does he want the answer to be the latter?
The two time periods are completely intermixed. The effect is a little like flipping channels between an episode of Clone Wars and an episode of Rebels (albeit one featuring only Imperials). But it’s done in such a way that the interconnected storylines unfold simultaneously, with the reader getting just the right amount of information at the right time. It’s well done and basically effortless to follow along with. The chapter breaks often feature dramatic narrative parallels between the two stories.
TZ’s narrative voices for Clone Wars era Anakin and Padme are both very well done. Anakin is delightfully pissy and competitive with Thrawn, and the way that the two characters find their footing as allies highlights the fact that they’re both brilliant, just in different ways. We’re used to seeing characters like Pellaeon (or even Eli Vanto in Thrawn) being quite outpaced by Thrawn’s machinations. Anakin (and Vader) is perfectly capable of following, he just tends to attack problems in different ways, and Thrawn periodically goes along with Anakin(Vader)’s more aggressive solutions.
Padme’s adventure on her own is entertaining as well. She spends a bit of it rather stuck, stranded and waiting for Anakin to show up as reinforcements, but it didn’t come off as too damselly to me, just that she’s biding her time and planning her next moves.
Thrawn spends about 5 minutes with the two of them before he’s totally convinced that they’re a couple (despite their protestations to the contrary), which he clearly already suspected just from the way Anakin talked about Padme anyway. I could’ve done with a little more romance – Anakin and Padme’s dramatic reunion is pretty dampened by “let’s not make out in front of the blue guy” (he knows anyway, so why bother?). Not that I don’t appreciate the romance that I was given; I just would’ve liked a little more.
And TZ’s handling of Vader’s point of view was interesting. Anytime Vader is forced to recall something that happened to him as Anakin, he internally refers to his former self as “The Jedi”, avoiding the mere mention of his name as much as possible. He doesn’t even tell Thrawn that he killed Anakin (as he told Ahsoka at Malachor), merely repeating that Anakin Skywalker is dead. It rings very true to the character and the state of dissociated identity that he should be in at this point, still a few years before he discovers that Padme’s son is alive.
My big question as a reader was, of course: will Thrawn figure out that Vader was once Anakin Skywalker? Spoilers, naturally he does. But where we pick up the story, he seems to already suspect strongly enough to very deliberately namedrop Anakin and set verbal traps regarding their past adventure. It all reads very well, but I’m still left wondering what Thrawn’s first clues were. How do you look at Vader, and think, ah yes, this must be the passionate, reckless golden adonis I once met? You can’t really say it’s that Vader appeared as Palpatine’s apprentice right after Anakin’s death, because Vader’s appearance coincides with the deaths of the majority of the Jedi Order. I don’t doubt that Thrawn could figure it out, but I would’ve liked to know when it first occurred to him.
And because Thrawn treats Vader, in some respects, how he treated Anakin, Vader has moments where he tends to act in a slightly, marginally more Anakin-like fashion around Thrawn. There are moments when the troops in the First Legion expect a reprimand from Vader that never comes. And the moment that Vader chooses to hold back from Force-choking Thrawn shows that on some level he still wants to prove himself Thrawn’s equal at his own game of tactics and observation and intellect rather than merely cow him with a display of dark power. Ultimately it’s fleeting though - Thrawn finally accepts Vader’s insistence that Anakin is dead, and we know that they won’t share a stage again before Vader’s redemption and Anakin’s (final) death.
The story also makes a Nature-of-the-Force statement by telling us that, to Thrawn’s knowledge, Force Sensitivity manifests in the Chiss only in very limited ways. That is, the Chiss navigate deep space via the precognitive abilities of Sensitives, but that Force sensitive Chiss are only gifted with precognition, only female, and that their sensitivity fades over time. I’m feeling…skeptical about this. It’s possible that Thrawn’s knowledge of these matters is limited (he admits that it’s pretty secretive), or that Chiss culture is actually shaping the experience of the Sensitives? Maybe precognition is the only skill they’re encouraged to develop? Maybe it’s only tested for in girls? Maybe the girls are permitted to retire from their stressful careers as navigators when they reach a certain age and live normal lives? We’ve seen Jedi knights from dozens of species, and while different Jedi certainly seem to have different gifts, we’ve always been led to think that this just varied by the individual, not that there were definite species-specific limitations.
This does clarify the fact that Thrawn’s pilot/navigator in the Clone Wars era storyline who never appears on page is in fact a little girl or a young woman. (What did the story look like from her point of view? How curious she must’ve been about Anakin! What is her dynamic with Thrawn like?) And so, at the end of Rebels, with Ezra Bridger and Thrawn cast blindly into Wild space/The Unknown Regions by the Purrgil’s hyperjump, this actually is a situation that Thrawn is relatively familiar with – he could presumably help Ezra figure out how to navigate via the Chiss method? And, if they end up in Chiss territory, Ezra could open up the horizons of the Chiss navigators to Jedi abilities they’ve perhaps always had but never developed? The idea of Ezra trying to train a herd of tiny Chiss girls in Jedi teachings is somehow pleasing. It’s an interesting seed planted here, and I would love to see what it flowers into, if things go in that direction.
Another interesting suggestion is that, because the Force sensitive Chiss navigators are called “sky walkers”, Anakin’s family name could’ve originated out in the Unknown Regions near Chiss space. Perhaps some precognitive Skywalker ancestor had a brush with the Chiss, and either took the epithet for the navigators as their surname, or, conversely, gave their surname to the profession. Or it could just be a coincidence.
I’m a little confused about Thrawn’s initial response to Anakin’s name. Either Anakin translated his surname into the trade language (which doesn’t make sense), or Thrawn already understands much more Galactic Basic at this point than he lets on (likely).
And I was pleased that, I’m pretty sure, Outbound Flight remains mostly canon-compliant. I know it’s not canon, but I’m very fond of it, and so far I don’t think anything in either Thrawn novel contradicts it in a major way.
And, as an aside, though I really enjoyed the Thrawn and Anakin dynamic, I can’t help but wonder what a team up between Thrawn and Obi-Wan would’ve been like. I don’t think that Obi-Wan would’ve felt intellectually threatened by Thrawn’s personality in the way that Anakin did. I also think Obi-Wan would’ve been much more curious about the Chiss, in contrast to Anakin’s single-minded focus on the mission/saving Padme, which Thrawn might’ve been quite wary about. I’m not really sure how I think they might’ve gotten along, only that the collaboration of two of the greatest tactical minds of the Star Wars galaxy must surely be a thing to witness?
On a note totally unrelated to the actual content of the book, I HATED the way that the matte dustcover of the book felt. I literally made blackberrycreek carry the book through Barnes and Noble for me. I read it with the dustcover off (not unusual for me), and I wasn’t pleased with the white-on-white binding either. I suspect that they were trying to evoke the white grand admiral’s uniform or something, but it just looked cheap to me. Anyway, that dustcover felt terrible, and also the B&N exclusive sticker was murder to remove and left a nasty adhesive residue, what the heck, go back to gloss, Del Rey.
#long post#book reviews with spectral musette#spoilers#truly this is very long#it kinda got away from me
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TLJ Novelization: Review & Revisiting Episode IX Speculation
I’ll be honest: I skim-read a lot of Jason Fry’s novelization.
It’s not the worst SW book, not by a long shot. But I wasn’t drawn in by his writing, an unfair critique, perhaps, given that nothing was going to be surprising. It’s very rote, though, and there were times when his prose wandered surprisingly close to boredom, bafflement, or both. Needless to say, what really disappointed me was the lackluster depiction of Rey and Kylo and some of their scenes together. Take, for example, this description of the closing Falcon scene between Rey and Kylo:
He stared at Rey. She stared back at him, her gaze level and unafraid. There was no hatred in her eyes, as there once had been. But there was no compassion, either.
I’m aware that there are some Reylos currently swooning over this even as other Reylos are mortified at what the “no compassion” bit could really portend. But read it again.
Read it out loud.
It is the most dispassionate description of how that scene played out onscreen, does not even come close to capturing the emotional weight behind that moment.
If that doesn’t convince you or you think I’m being too harsh, there’s also this:
Rey fell backward, bumping into Kylo’s back.
You know what scene that is, right?
Bumping. Into his back. O.M.G.
The misfire in translating Rey and Kylo’s simmering-to-boiling screen chemistry from screen to paper was bound to be inevitable. But I take heart in knowing that this had to be intentional: its absence speaks to the desire to keep their story unknown and suspended. In other words, it’s a way to keep their dynamic relevant for the next two years. It also solidifies the fact that the romance of Reylo will continue to be quite distinct from the sudden war time passion of HanLeia or the childishly baffling obsession of Anidala, just in case that wasn’t already obvious.
I’ve come to the conclusion that, much like the TFA novelization, this one could be skipped over in lieu of actually watching the movie, which is A) way more exciting and B) way more successful at the nuance, which was one of its strengths. Of course, we should also remember that whatever happens in the film is unquestionably canon, regardless of conflicting details in the expanded content. There’s cute little Easter egg-type details (ships have personalities, for example) and passages not seen in the movie that Reylos created head-canons for anyway (such as why Rey left an unconscious Kylo alive). Overall, this novel is about as good as one could expect from someone other than Rian Johnson himself adapting his own script. But that’s to be expected, and this must have been a great challenge. I do think what this book best has to offer is a reiteration of the theme of perspective ambiguity.
Alright, that’s done. Now, I’m going to revisit an Episode IX speculation post I did (X) in December, because I read quite a few quotes in the novelization that were particularly relevant to what I speculated on for Hux, Kylo, and the foreshadowing of a power play between them.
Take Hux Seriously
What I said:
Hux was played up for comedic effect in TLJ, but it’s somewhat undermined by examples of real leadership, engagement with fellow, high-ranking FO officers, and the distinct feeling that this man is more cunning than you think. That’s not to say that Hux will hit epic levels of villainy; but he will most assuredly continue to be an antagonist to Kylo and, with Snoke’s murder, he will now have a justified reason for being so.
What the novelization said:
Commander of the Supremacy would be an excellent title…surpassed only by that of Supreme Leader Hux. Hux almost whispered those three words to himself, but caught himself in time. Snoke had spies everywhere in the First Order—including, quite possibly, electronic ones in the turbolift leading to his private domain at the Supremacy’s heart.
Comments
First of all, here is written proof of Hux’s lofty, ultimate ambitions. (Again, in case that wasn’t obvious in the film.) Second, we also now have the knowledge that Snoke takes advantage of stealth security. The reason that it’s “possible” he has cameras installed in his private elevator is because he makes use of “electronic spies” elsewhere. This begs the question: if something as innocuous as an elevator is bugged, then surely his throne room, his private room, is similarly outfitted, right?
There’s no way Kylo will be able to keep the truth of his ascension a secret. No way.
Dirt for a Smear Campaign
What I said:
Aside from the fact that he’s basically in charge of the FO military, Hux could go after Kylo with a smear campaign by revealing his true identity. Of course, this hinges on whether the galaxy at large knows that Kylo Ren of the First Order is Ben Solo, son of rebel Generals Leia Organa and Han Solo. Evidence points to the negative:
-Poe seems unaware of Kylo’s relation to his revered general, both in TFA and TLJ
-Han and Leia speak about Ben in a hushed, private conversation in TFA; they never speak his name aloud (though mostly, of course, to withhold information for dramatic effect)
-barely anyone in the FO is shown wanting to make eye contact with Kylo Ren; I doubt they know anything personal about him
-Finn clearly has no idea
What the novelization said:
Poe studied the two figures standing in front of the command shuttle for a long moment. “This isn’t just a family reunion,” he told the remaining Resistance fighters. “Skywalker’s doing this for a reason. He’s stalling so we can escape.”
“Escape?” Finn asked, incredulous. “He’s one man against an army. We have to go help him! We have to fight!”
Leia joined them, trailed as always by C-3PO. She and Poe exchanged glances.
“No,” Poe said. “We are the spark that will light the fire that will burn down the First Order.”
Had some member of the Resistance opted to commit suicide in dramatic fashion? Amused, he glanced over at Ren—and whatever he had been going to say died on his lips. Because the new Supreme Leader looked like he was staring down at a ghost.
Comments
Because there is no written shock or surprise from the Resistance fighters after Poe’s statement, this means that Kylo’s relationship to Leia is actually common knowledge, at least among her ranks. The subsequent lines with Leia and Finn further demonstrate how inconsequential this information is: Leia isn’t currently trying to hide it, nor has she in the past evidently. After the events in Bloodline, maybe she decided not to hide her truths from her colleagues and close allies again.
Hux, on the other hand, can’t even identify Luke Skywalker let alone understand why Kylo is so shaken by his appearance. That Finn is more “incredulous” at Poe’s deduction about Luke than he is about Poe’s reference to Luke’s family connections means the latter is not a surprise to him either. So, how could a Stormtrooper know that Kylo is a Skywalker yet the high-ranking FO officer who reinvigorated the Stormtrooper program doesn’t? A reasonable answer is that Finn learned about it at some point in TFA before Starkiller Base.
However, Leia’s close comrades knowing about her son doesn’t necessarily mean that the galaxy at large knows. Otherwise, how could Hux not know? To be fair, I don’t know how she contained that information from ruthless politicians and prevented it from becoming a weapon against her for a second time. But I guess Leia figured it out.
No Fit Leader
What I said:
Only consider how badly a secret identity, one with close ties to the enemy, would threaten Kylo’s position within the FO:
“Kylo Ren is a New Republic and Resistance sympathizer, a double agent and traitor! He is the son of rebel scum, but not just any dirty rebel: he’s the son of Leia Organa, the most dogged enemy of the Empire and First Order! At her behest, he aided and abetted a Jedi in the assassination of Supreme Leader Snoke, and then allowed her to escape! He has seized power in order to restore the Republic!”
Kylo’s visible instability on Crait could only have made a poor impression on the FO military, hitherto shown to be highly ordered and rigidly structured, if nothing else. And I’m not just talking about his gross waste of FO resources for, what, 40 rebels in a crumbling base, but also on a single man who turned out to be, well, a freaking wizard! Imagine following someone like that, putting your trust and loyalty into someone so obviously unhinged and undone?
What the novelization said:
Hux looked at Ren’s face and saw terror—naked and undisguised. That fear meant weakness—and opportunity.
The First Order had thrived despite Snoke’s weakness for mystical nonsense, but that was because Snoke had kept himself largely shrouded from view, letting his directives speak for him. Ren had never been so wise. He was incapable of it—a slave to his emotions. That wouldn’t do in a Supreme Leader. It would endanger all Hux and his technologists had created. Well, Hux wouldn’t allow that. And the more delusions Ren suffered, the easier it would be to arrange for him to be sidelined and eliminated.
Comments
Hux is providing commentary on the fact that the First Order will not accept Kylo; a fearful, uncertain leader is no fit leader. Futhermore, Kylo is trained in Jedi and Sith ways—“sorcerery” as Hux (and undoubted others) constantly calls Force powers. After the forthcoming, highly visible display of “sorcerers’” ways, no wonder Hux feels confident in his position; in contrast to Kylo’s horrid display, Snoke had maintained his “man behind the curtain” persona and in that way was able to gather and consolidate power. In a one-on-one situation, Hux could never overpower Kylo. That’s never been questioned. So, this is where Hux’s strategic cunning comes into play, along with the implied camera recordings, which could include recordings that reveal Kylo’s true identity as the last Skywalker, especially now that Snoke is not alive to prevent someone from snooping through his (likely) throne room security footage.
One thing to note is that the novelization does not mention the ^Look^ Hux gives Kylo in the abandoned Crait base. In the book, Hux is not even apparently part of the landing party. One could argue, then, that all of this time spent on Hux and his ambition are for the express purpose of explaining the meaning behind that Look. It is evidence that is not so much foreshadowing as it is confirming.
Fugitive Life
What I said:
Hux may initiate an arrest or even an assassination, which Kylo escapes. After his escape, Hux puts out the smear campaign as well as a bounty, making Kylo a wanted fugitive of the FO. As a fugitive, I think the second half of the movie will find Kylo on his journey to self-discovery and self-reconciliation. It would also be an opportunity to visit different worlds within the Star Wars galaxy, some so far removed from the political feuding that Kylo will be able to find that inner peace and resolve he needs.
What the novelization said:
Finn had dreamed of convincing her to join him somewhere in the wilds of the Outer Rim, where the First Order could never find them. The First Order would never stop hunting the Resistance until it was destroyed, but two fugitives might have a chance to escape its notice and create a life for themselves on some quiet backwater world.
Comments
OK, yes, I’m using Finn’s wishful thinking to support my own fugitive Kylo theory. It applies very well to Finn’s story arc and his habit of dealing with the FO by running away from it. But I think it could be taken as foreshadowing for Kylo as well, because one of the main concerns about Kylo’s redemption revolves around atonement. People have suggested exile (one I personally find regressive) and death, of course. Kylo’s been running from his past, like Finn, But he actually needs to run from the ideologies that have smothered him his whole life and come into his own, as Finn did.
Final Comments
Going back to what I said at the top of this post—about the novelization doing a decent job of underscoring perspective ambiguity—here’s what I mean:
Yago would endure Hux just as Peavey had—because both men knew the general wouldn’t last. He would undoubtedly succeed at destroying the remnants of the Resistance, and bask in the glory of that accomplishment for a time. But then the real challenges would begin. […] And sooner or later, Hux would be undone, revealed as an incompetent officer and an intemperate leader. […] Hux was a revolutionary, full of fire and fervor, but revolutionaries’ seasons were fleeting.
I was pretty naïve about how his comrades in arms feel about him. For all the confidence Hux has in himself, apparently his fellow officers lack faith in him. Like Yago and Peavey (the officer shown to be at Hux’s right hand in the film), the veteran Captain Canady of the Dreadnought Fulminatrix is similarly disdainful of Hux and the other young people around him. None of these officers seem to have faith in the younger generation, which represents the future, and that implies that the veterans might not have much hope for the future of their cause. Will this result in in-fighting?
It seems more than likely that Episode IX will highlight the ideological war because, as things stand, it lacks a clear cut Big Bad; we thought Snoke would be this trilogy’s Big Bad to the Emperor’s OT Big Bad. Keep in mind that the New Republic (the good side) is virtually gone, blown out of the galaxy. If there is in-fighting or mutinies within the fledgling FO (the evil side), whose leadership was so recently destroyed and quickly usurped by an unstable “sorcerer”, then might the FO simply destroy itself? Will the galaxy then be free to re-start, in a way? Or is that too simple? Sometimes, the answers to complicated questions are simple.
And speaking of that “sorcerer”, the perspective ambiguity rears its head again:
And then there was his most glaring failure of all: his inability or unwillingness to use his power to redirect the course of his own destiny.
Rey had learned that the Force was not her instrument—that, in fact, it was the other way around. Just as Kylo was its instrument, despite his determination to bend it to his will. He would learn that one day, she sensed—the Force wasn’t finished with him.
I mean, what is up, what is down?
In the beginning of the novel, Snoke knows that Kylo has an “inability” or “unwillingness” to use his power to control his destiny. At the end, Rey believes Kylo is “determined” to use his power to control the Force. There’s an arc here—Rian Johnson’s comment about Kylo “the villain, standing on his own two feet at the end” comes to mind (X). You might think this sounds ominous for the hope that Ben Solo will be redeemed. But, in the movie, we left him downcast on the floor of an abandoned base and now, in the novel, Rey’s addendum, her sense that Kylo will someday recognize himself as an instrument of the Force, almost blatantly foreshadows Ben Solo’s redemption.
Which is the big roundabout way of me saying that this novelization isn’t a complete waste of trees.
#reylo#rey#kylo ren#ben solo#armitage hux#tlj novelization#star wars episode ix#episode ix speculation#save ben solo#redemption meta
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shiro is vld's damsel in distress and keith is his knight in shining armor
Ok so I know I joke about Keith saving Shiro like a princess, but actually, this is honestly how their dynamic is portrayed?? Keith is always shown as the first one at Shiro’s side when he’s in danger, always running to his rescue. If he has to choose between the mission and Shiro, he’ll take Shiro every time. But now, let’s talk about this idea he’s a knight for a minute. Because it’s very much a purposefully drawn comparison. In the comics, when the paladins are all likened to pieces on a chessboard, Keith is delegated to this role. The narrative literally refers to him as a knight by name.
The imagery of Keith’s bayard also serves to reinforce this. Instead of a more sci-fi weapon like a laser gun or some advanced alien tech, Keith’s weapon of choice is a classic sword. Nothing evokes the image of a knight more than a sword and shield (which the paladin suit has). Keith’s belief system also feeds into this archetype. Time and again, he’s singled out as the most dedicated to the mission. He is a paladin first and foremost. When Pidge wants to leave to find her family, Keith is the one who lashes out and lectures her about how they need to defend the universe and make sacrifices for the greater good. When Allura is captured, Keith again notes that their duty as paladins must come first. Keith leaves the castle when he believes his presence will do more harm than good. And the paladin guidebook even lists his most important value as honor–a clear reference to knightly chivalry.
Keith’s initial role in Voltron is also a clear indicator of his character. If the head of Voltron is a leader whose men will follow without question, if they’re like a “King,” then as Voltron’s “right-hand man” Keith is a loyal knight. And just like any good knight, Keith will call out rulers for failing to serve the people and treating their subjects unjustly. The way Keith reacts so strongly to Lubos is a good example of this. Again, nobility and honor are distinctly important to him.
Another trope with a knight and damsel you often see in fantasy is that, like a typical knight, the protagonist highly values chivalry and champions a noble cause. But ultimately, that means learning to sacrifice their own selfish desires for the sake of the greater good. So their love interest is often seen as a distraction from the hero’s quest. They can’t afford to indulge in their feelings because the mission must come first. And often times, this culminates in a decision where the knight must choose to sacrifice the person they care about most–a representation of their own desires–because their duty demands it.
And in his trial, who is it that’s sent to tempt the hero and divert him from his quest, who is it that Keith longs for most, the person he “desperately wants to see”? Who is the one person that Keith can afford to be selfish for, the one who he’ll throw away everything–including his obligations as a paladin–just to be with?
And we know that this is an archetype VLD is very much aware of and acknowledges in their narrative. After all, heroes who fail to give up their own wants and needs, chasing after their love and abandoning their duty–they’re often cast down, vilified, characterized as foolish and selfish and bringing about disaster for their arrogance. And Zarkon is the literal embodiment of this character. He’s a glimpse at what Keith’s future could look like if he continues down the same path and chooses Shiro over the universe. Just like how Zarkon chose his love over everything else.
So when I mention all the sheith and zaggar parallels, I really do believe it’s wholly intentional. Especially given all the foreshadow that Keith will eventually reach the same crossroads where he’ll have to decide whether or not to sacrifice Shiro for the sake of the universe. But being that Keith doesn’t believe in things being so “black and white” and also the trope that a successor will surpass their predecessor, I believe Keith will figure out an alternative answer that will allow for both Shiro and the the others he defends to stay safe.
Now, as for Shiro’s role as a “princess,” the notion is pretty interesting. Obviously, it’s a clear subversion of gender. But there’s never any shame or weakness to it. Quite the contrary, actually. Shiro is established as the strongest and most formidable member of Team Voltron. He’s their brave leader, their fearless protector, their unshakable rock. But he is so often idolized, seen as impossibly perfect and infallible, and this inevitably takes its toll. The fact that he allows himself to be vulnerable with Keith, to let Keith help him and take care of him, is never shown as a point of pathetic inability or weakness.
Rather, Voltron portrays it as okay to admit that you aren’t strong enough, that you’re not okay, that asking for help is perfectly alright and there’s nothing wrong with admitting you can’t shoulder the weight of the world on your own. Shiro asking Keith to come save him is important because he never asks the others for help. He puts up a facade and tries to keep everything together in front of them. And when Keith says things like Shiro really changed his life, you can infer that, before this, Shiro was probably always the one taking care of him. So Keith always being the first to defend Shiro in turn reads as You were always the one protecting me, now let me stand by your side and protect you.
This concept of sheith’s dynamic resembling a knight and princess is also established immediately. Their very first scene together is Keith saving Shiro, and it really feels like knight rescuing their lost love. Right away you associate these two characters with one another, see just how intimately familiar they are with each other. Keith fights fiercely on Shiro’s behalf but softens up when he looks at him, leans it closer and tenderly reaches out to him. And I’ve talked about this a lot before, but the way Keith mourns Shiro is distinctly reminescent of someone grieving a lover.
The way he’s inconsollible and claims to be the only one who really cares about Shiro, the way he searches relentlessly and needs to be told time and again that it’s time to move on, the way his voice breaks when Black accepts him and he pleads, “Please, no.” Keith really loves Shiro. And his devotion to him, including leading Voltron in honor of his last wish as well as vowing to never give up on him, Keith’s desperation to be with him, this notion that he’d be all alone without him--yes, he loves Shiro. But it’s a love that’s passionate and intense and possessive and desperate in a way that platonic or familial love just isn’t.
I think Kuron’s rescue and recovery in season 3 is also very remenescent of this whole damsel in distress theme. For one thing, Keith is established as Shiro’s sole rescuer, and the “reunion” scene is an intimate moment between just the two of them. Kuron’s hero is here to save him, and they can both finally be at ease. The start of the next episode is very interesting because it just seems like business as usual. The paladins are all off on a mission, but Kuron is nowhere to be seen. He’s taken out of the action. Instead, this is the first time we get to see Allura use her bayard. And she makes for a fearsome opponent. It’s a distinct reversal of how you’d usually see a knight go off on their quest while the princess waits back at the castle for their safe return. Here, Kuron takes on that position. And the way we see Keith dutifully caring for him at his bedside afterwards reinforces this idea. And it’s okay for Kuron to rest and take as much times as he needs. It’s okay because Keith will still lead in the meantime and he’ll always be there to check in on Kuron and help him through his recovery.
Of course, there’s more than one way to save someone, and I think it’s important to make that distinction with Shiro and Keith’s relationship. Because it’s not Keith carrying all of Shiro’s weight for him and taking care of everything. It’s about Keith really supporting Shiro and reaffirming that he is a good and worthy paladin–“You mean, your bayard.” It’s the way that Shiro has already given himself up for dead but Keith looks him in the eye and tells him that he’ll be alright, that he can make it. It’s the fact that Shiro struggles with his trauma and still believes that he’s a monster, that he’s undeserving of the title “paladin” and that there’s no way he can stand against the empire and survive. Keith asserts time and again that Shiro is their leader, that Shiro is strong and kind and loving, that Shiro isn’t broken, that he deserves to live. It’s that Keith gives him hope, and Shiro is able to stand by his side and push forward because of it.
Ultimately, I think the best way to describe this dynamic is by just quoting what Josh said at wondercon about his favorite scene: “Shiro is in really bad shape and he’s waiting to pretty much get rescued by Keith. I love this clip because you really see the weak side of Shiro, you really see Keith’s determination to find him. And it was just really exciting for me to watch it. Because it really looks dire, and it really looks like he’s not gonna make it in time. And then–a hero comes through and saves the day with the lion.” Keith is really Shiro’s hero. And just like he’s promised, he’ll always be there to save Shiro–as many times as it takes.
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Why vampires aren't as sexy in the age of #MeToo
Nina Dobrev as Elena and Ian Somerhalder as Damon on The Vampire Diaries. (Photo: Everett Collection)
The Vampire Diaries and Dawson’s Creek producer Julie Plec on the storylines you’d have to think twice about today, the inspiring Marjory Stoneman Douglas students, and the Roswell reboot.
This March marks a year since The Vampire Diaries signed off the air after eight seasons on The CW, and as showrunner Julie Plec thinks back to its beginnings, there’s no question what her biggest takeaway is. “There was a sensuality and a seduction to the vampire genre that now, [nearly] 10 years later, isn’t necessarily as sexy, right?” she says, alluding to the fact that vampires can compel or glamour humans (depending on whether you’re watching TVD or True Blood) and have overpowering strength and speed.
“And you could look at it back through the lens of say the #MeToo movement and object to what may be a little bit of a glorification of a rape culture, but what we were working with at the time was a gothic romance with a fine line — a very fine line — separating it,” she says, with a laugh. “And I used to get in arguments about it being a gothic romance and not wanting to censor the sexuality of the characters, even if it felt a little questionable at times, like specifically Damon and Caroline in the first couple of episodes [when he used her as a plaything and drank from her against her will]. Because that’s what vampires represented, and that’s what vampires were. And the culture has just shifted enough that you’d have to think twice before you dove in that boldly now, I think.”
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Another storyline that doesn’t feel “of the time” today is the classic bad boy trope, which, Plec admits, she’s had great success exploring on TVD and its spinoff, The Originals (which returns April 20 for its fifth and final season). “It brings to light a lot of questions about women’s self-worth and passivity in that male/female dynamic, and so that’s shifting as well,” she says. “It’ll be [interesting] to see how you can create great romance and tension in a romantic relationship without being able to rely on those old tropes of the guy picking up the girl and throwing her over his shoulder and saving the day, you know.”
As someone who also worked on close friend Kevin Williamson’s series Dawson’s Creek for a time, Plec can, too, admit that 20 years later, a plot point like Pacey having sex with his teacher hasn’t aged well. “There was something kind of sexy and dirty and naughty and wish fulfillment about that back then that leaves a really nasty taste in my mouth right now,” she says.
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Still, there are some Dawson’s arcs that more than hold up. She thinks back to Jack (Kerr Smith) coming out in Season 2 — and in Season 3, experiencing the first passionate kiss between two men on TV (thanks to then showrunner Greg Berlanti being willing to walk away from the series if the network wouldn’t air it). “Essentially that scene where the father rejects Jack and leaves him in a puddle crying was a fictionalized version of Greg’s actual experience, which he’s talked very freely about in his own interviews,” Plec says. “The beauty of that storyline is the idea that as a young adult, [Greg] had an experience that he had to keep a secret for a while, and then when he revealed his secret, it didn’t go well, and then for him to be able to exorcise that demon through writing — to actually show the story to an audience and show them all the beautiful things about that story that he himself had never gotten to see as a viewer.”
That’s also an illustration of why Plec has always been drawn to the teen genre. “What’s most inspirational about writing for that age is that everyone at that age is either living their biggest truth or their biggest secret, and sometimes both. And they communicate in a very straight-forward way. They tend to sort of say what they mean, and express their feelings without filters in a way that you just don’t do as much as an adult,” she says. “And so as a writer, it makes it a particularly honest experience — I don’t have to think, I can just put my thoughts on the page as I would have wanted to when I was 17.”
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students Emma Gonzalez, left, David Hogg, and Cameron Kasky raising their voices. (Photos: Getty/AP)
Last month, when she was watching the teen survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting speak on TV, she thought again about Dawson’s Creek.
“Kevin made a very specific and unique style choice in that he purposefully wrote those teens to have almost hyperbolic language and communication skills,” Plec says, “and I would say, probably the biggest lesson you can take from his choice was that when you’re writing for teenagers, you don’t treat them like children. You treat them, and you present them, as adults. And that was actually passing through my head when I was listening to all the Parkland students on CNN giving their press conference. I said, ‘My god, they are so magnificently articulate.’ And the idea that there used to exist this sense in that particular youth genre that you had to write down or limit their vocabulary or narrow their point of view seems so ridiculous in the post-Dawson’s Creek era, because you look at the reality of how teenagers communicate at their best.”
Katherine Langford as Hannah Baker in 13 Reasons Why. (Photo: Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection)
The conversation those students, and fearless shows like 13 Reasons Why, are creating in the country give her hope. “If you’re looking at all of these kids talking about being shot up in their school, then you’re applauding a show like 13 Reasons Why for creating an environment for people to talk openly about their feelings, about their mental illness, about their sadness, about the things that make them feel dark. If talking about mental health is the norm and not the aberration, then I think we solve a lot of the world’s problems just by definition of that.”
Because again, when done well, these shows can make a difference. For her next project, Plec will direct the pilot for The CW’s Roswell reboot, written by Originals alum Carina Adly MacKenzie and based on the Roswell High book series. This time, the story centers on the daughter (Jeanine Mason) of undocumented immigrants who returns to her hometown of Roswell, New Mexico, for her 10-year high school reunion and discovers that her teenage crush (Nathan Parsons), who is now a police officer, has been hiding the fact that he’s an alien with unearthly abilities. When a violent attack and long-standing government cover-up point to a greater alien presence on Earth, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose him and destroy their deepening romance.
“Carina was raised in the Muslim faith by an Egyptian mother, although she is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed young woman, and after 9/11, the next day everyone in her school was exhibiting blatant Islamophobia, and she had to sort of stand up and say, ‘Hey, wait a second, guys. Watch yourselves.’ And so to be able to tell that story through this lens is really important to her because it is something that she went through as a teenager.”
And it’s an experience that today’s teens can still relate to. “Anything that you’re making for that particular audience, you know deep down that you’re in some way, in success, laying the foundation for important things like tolerance and inclusion, and openness to issues like mental health or self-esteem,” she says. “You’re touching people at the right time, where your message can actually make positive change if your message is well-executed — and there’s something really uplifting and powerful about that.”
Read more “Why Teen TV Matters” from Yahoo Entertainment:
Show creator looks back at 4 decades of ‘Degrassi,’ from abortion to Drake
Joss Whedon on Parkland students: ‘I’ve been writing about kids like these for a long while. I thought I was writing fantasy.’
‘My So-Called Life’ and ‘Parenthood’ creators on Parkland teens ‘changing the conversation’ on TV and in real life
Why social media is the biggest issue teen TV should tackle
#news#_revsp:wp.yahoo.tv.us#why teen tv matters#_author:Mandi Bierly#greg berlanti#_category:yct:001000086#_lmsid:a0Vd000000AE7lXEAT#interviews#julie plec#the vampire diaries#kevin williamson#roswell#Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School#The CW#_uuid:4771b971-500b-32f1-9834-9f5fe810a831#dawsons creek
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The following was sparked off by the sentiment ‘Thomas would think Flint a monster and would hate him for the things he’s done’ (briefly mentioned here). I didn’t want to attach the following as a reblog to poor @my-truest-flinthamilton directly because the rambling below is waaay too much of a tangent, but I find the topic really interesting, and I have Feelings on the subject.
Spoiler: I think it would be complicated, but still nah.
I do think Thomas' reaction to what Flint has done depends, among other things, on what kind of hell Thomas himself has been through. We have no concrete answers outside the fact that Thomas was taken to Oglethorpe's plantation. Unless someone bribes Thomas related answers out of Steinberg and Levine (can we do a fandom Kickstarter?), it's ultimately up to the viewer's discretion. From the events of Black Sails, there is a tenuous timeline that can be established, but it’s still up to the viewer’s discretion. I actually have an unfinished post about this, and I wish I’d finished it before this post!
Some of the TL;DR re: the timeline:
The real world maps used as props on the show demonstrate Georgia and Savannah exist within Black Sails’ world in 1715. (Thank you to the incredible sagestreet!) In the case of the latter map, it was in wide enough circulation to the point that a copy of it is displayed in Governor Raja’s office in Havana. It’s fair to say that Savannah may have been established for awhile, and if Oglethorpe plays a similar role within the world of Black Sails to his real world counterpart, he may have been in the Americas for a decade or so. My assumption in turn is that the plantation may have been around for a few years. Georgia and Savannah weren’t established until 1733 in our world, but Black Sails exists in its own ball of wibby-wobbly timey-wimey. With some extra wibby and wimey.
In regards to what Thomas himself has been through, we have a lot of variables. How long was Thomas in Bethlem for? Was he ever in Bethlem? How long has he been at the plantation? What is the treatment of those at Oglethorpe’s plantation like? For all of Oglethorpe’s pontificating, the reality of what we see on screen is no more than a small sugar cane plantation. My hope is that the treatment of those imprisoned there is still better than other plantations, but there are dangerous realities inherent to sugar cane plantations regardless. Even if Oglethorpe’s plantation was the Nicest Sugar Cane Plantation Ever—now there’s an ironic statement—it’s still a one way trip for those imprisoned there. (Slightly off-topic, but I had a very different image of what the place was going to be like from Max’s dialogue in 4x04. ‘Cared for, tended to...’ Yeah, they’re certainly tending to something.)
When it comes to Thomas’ emotional state over the lost decade, along with whatever transpired at the plantation and the possibility of being held in Bethlem, there’s also the conundrum of what Thomas was told about James and Miranda from Peter Ashe. Did Thomas think they were dead? Did he think they were alive, still out there somewhere?
The amount of hell that Thomas himself has been through would certainly contribute to how Thomas feels about his father, Peter Ashe, England, Nassau... and all that James has done as Flint. Thomas in London was already a stubborn, passionate man with a temper and very strong ideas about the world. Would he be broken after a decade ? Would that fire be even more inflamed?
The Thomas we knew in London was in an extremely privileged position, and he wanted to pardon the pirates of Nassau for both financial and social benefit. That was before Bethlem or Oglethorpe’s plantation. (Lord Thomas ‘I Want To Pardon The Pirates’ Hamilton. P.S. ‘Yes, All of the Pirates’. P.P.S. ‘Did I Fucking Stutter?’)
Judging by Hands’ talk to James in 4x04, it seems like Blackbeard was already established in prominence when Lieutenant McGraw came to Nassau. From Hands’ dialogue, it seems like Hands himself may have been one of the men that murdered Governor Thompson’s family. Thomas wanted to pardon the pirates back in London whilst Blackbeard and co. were at large, and was still willing to do so even after James brought back the news of all that had transpired there. It was a decision that ended quite badly, mind, but with James’ encouragement, Thomas decided to continue on regardless. If Thomas was willing to pardon these pirates, some of which had also done some pretty horrific things, I think it’s a fair assumption he wouldn’t be washing his hands of James and ‘Captain Flint’ so easily. Thomas was very much in love with James back in London (see the Meditations inscription, among other things), and Thomas still seemed very much in love with him from the reunion in the finale.
[Tangent: how the hell did Hands hear that Flint used to be a Navy man, and that McGraw was there when they took back Nassau from the English?! Only Miranda would have 100% known the specifics.]
In regards to how Thomas views people and humanity in general, we can also only look to the episodes themselves. As Miranda says in 1x06, he was Mr. Devil's Advocate back in London: Thomas would have played that game with you from dusk until dawn. And everything you hold sacred, he'd leave in tatters. Not from malice or hate, but from love. From a desire to see the yoke of shame lifted from your shoulders.
Considering what we know of how Thomas reacts when he’s dragged off to Bethlem, and how loyal and protective he is over Miranda and James, I can’t imagine that he would be all that aggrieved by Flint killing Alfred Hamilton or Peter Ashe. (Miranda, 2x05: Before they took him away, he made me promise him that no matter what happened next, that you and I would take care of each other). Again, pardoning the murderous pirates of Nassau wasn’t really an issue for Thomas in London. Alfred Hamilton and Peter Ashe destroyed the lives of Thomas, Miranda, and James—and ten years later, Miranda is now dead because of it.
Speaking of darling Miranda, I think it’s also important to look to Miranda as a counterpoint to Thomas, in regards to her feelings on James, and James as Flint. Thomas and Miranda absolutely are not the same in personality or actions (the latter is more sensible and realistic than the former, among many other things!), but they have a similar character trajectory. We don’t know anything about Miranda’s backstory, but considering she married the son of an Earl, she must have come from at least decent social standing. Thomas and Miranda are both outcasts from society in different ways: Miranda, as a brilliant, forward thinking woman who society wants to keep in place, and Thomas, the radical Lord who is whispered to be mad by half of Whitehall and who’s sexuality is punishable by death. In London, both Thomas and Miranda fall head over heels in love with James McGraw. After Ashe’s betrayal, they are separated from each other, and both go from London high society to a terrible and horrifying fall.
Throughout all of James’ years as Flint, Miranda never stopped loving James. Miranda didn’t think of James as a monster, and never treated him as such. Miranda was the only character in the 1715 timeline of Black Sails that looked upon James wholly without fear. She was afraid for him, but never of him. In the killing Alfred Hamilton, James and Miranda were partners, with James wielding the blade. We see that Miranda didn’t approve of all of James’ choices, but we know how much she loved James regardless. ETA: I had completely forgotten about Miranda’s 4x08 dialogue re: Flint, until Bean’s gif set reminded me: You can defend that man. There are good arguments in defense of him.
And, god, my poor beloved Miranda, who finally got to express her own fury at the world after the horrifying realization of how deeply her little trio had been betrayed, had it all cut short by a bullet to the head.
(not. over. her.)
Regardless of how you read the specifics of the relationship between Thomas and Miranda, I also think it’s important to consider the love between them in regards to how Thomas would react to some of Flint's actions. We see how deeply Thomas and Miranda cared for each other, both from Miranda's present day dialogue and through their interactions in the London flashbacks. So how does Thomas react when he finds out what happened to Miranda? (I’m still so bitter that we didn’t get to see.) How does he react to what James did in the aftermath of Miranda’s loss, and of Peter’s part in it all? In both London and in Charlestown, we saw Miranda’s enraged fury over the loss of Thomas and the revelation of how they all were betrayed. Miranda wanted to see Charlestown burn. I have no idea if Thomas would want destruction on such a scale, but it seems wrong to dismiss that Thomas wouldn’t have his own grief and fury about Miranda’s loss, especially considering how much her cared for her.
Miranda and James went through horrific emotional trauma over the decade since London. Trauma that shaped their actions, their emotions—specifically, their rage. Thomas, at the very least, would have gone through a lot of emotional trauma, with the possibility of some horrifying physical trauma as well. I don’t think it’s a reach to say he would have his own heartbreak and rage at the world in turn.
I also have to link to @sidewaystime‘s wonderful Thomas meta that expands on what we can infer of his character from the text of Black Sails itself. In the case of this post, I’m linking to it with special emphasis on Thomas as a character (the man isn’t exactly innocently Mr. Soft and Fluffy), alongside his dynamic with Miranda and James. Also, just go through sidewaystime’s tags anyway to read all of her godly Miranda meta and meta in general ohmygosh. ohmygosh
All of this to say: from what Black Sails itself shows us, I don't think Thomas would hate James, nor think of him as a monster. That’s not even bringing into the equation of what Thomas may have been through himself, as he hasn’t exactly been sitting around picking daisies for the last decade. I think it's fair to say some elements of Captain Flint Thomas would support, and some of it he would not.
..but Thomas hating James and thinking of him purely as a monster?
Miranda didn’t. I can’t see that Thomas would, either.
#black sails meta#flinthamiltons#flinthamilton#flintbarlow#thomas hamilton#miranda barlow#captain flint#black sails#redwhale black sails meta#this is more rambly and less eloquent than I'd like#quite tired#do wish this was more eloquent!#but eyyyy#i reread this a billion times and still missed that i wrote '1933'#thanks brain#black sails character meta
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10 Exciting New Netflix Originals Still Coming In 2019
2019 has been another good year for streaming giant Netflix. With heaps of new content published and Stranger Things' third season smashing through previous streaming records. Despite the arrival of new streaming platforms like Disney plus just around the corner, Netflix is powering forward regardless.
Obviously, some titles are going to start disappearing and reappearing on new sites, but Netflix still has an incredible breadth of content in television, film, stand-up and documentary. This list will look at new Netflix originals still to come in 2019, some of the most exciting and the most intriguing titles being prepared for your streaming pleasure.
RELATED: Why Netflix's Prices Went Up In 2019 (& Why It'll Get Worse)
10 Between Two Ferns: The Movie
Zach Galifianakis's satirical celebrity interview show is getting the movie treatment with the show's curmudgeonly host going on the road to interview a number of new guests. Those familiar will know that the Zach who hosts the show often has a total disdain for his guests and is frequently annoyed that no one takes what he's doing seriously.
Directed by Scott Auckerman, the film will follow Zach as he tries to reinstate his reputation as a serious interviewer and will no doubt explore more of the character than we've seen before. As for who will be appearing, very few details have been given, so we'll have to wait and see when the film is released on September 20th.
9 In The Shadow Of the Moon
There's no denying that crime drama genre is having a moment right now, and the new Netflix film In the Shadow of the Moon, coming September 27th, is going to be continuing that trend. Set in Philidelphia in 1988, the film will follow a police detective (Narcos' Boyd Holbrook) as he obsessives over an elusive murderer.
There's been no official trailer yet, but loose plot descriptions suggest that the film will be exploring the cost of being married to the job and the inability to disconnect from the mystery when catching the killer is all you can think about. Michael C. Hall and Cleopatra Coleman also star.
8 The Politician
Also dropping on September 27th is a new comedy show The Politician starring Ben Platt fresh from Broadway superstardom. Co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow, the show will focus on Payton Hobart (Platt) and ambitious high schooler with dreams of becoming President of the United States who must first fight to be his student council president.
A show like this is going to have its finger on the pulse of contemporary culture and will deliver it with biting satire and more than a little hint of darkness as the race to the top brings out the worst in everyone.
RELATED: Netflix's The Politician Reveal First Look At Ryan Murphy's New Show
7 El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
The Breaking Bad movie is happening and with a release date of October 11th, and it is coming so very soon! As can be expected, plot details are being held pretty close to the chest. All that's been said is that it will follow Jesse Pinkman after he escaped from Jack's gang at the end of the series.
With the teaser trailer pretty much just confirming this plotline, it's unlikely we'll hear more about the film until we actually get to see it. Show creator Vince Gilligan is writing and directing, and, with Better Call Saul further invigorating the Breaking Bad brand, this film is surely not going to disappoint.
6 The Irishman
The long-awaited cinematic reunion of Scorsese and De Nero is finally happening, and it's coming to Netflix on November 27th! The Irishman will follow the life and death of notorious criminal Jimmy Hoffa, played by Al Pacino. With a thoroughly de-aged De Nero playing opposite his contemporaries, the film promises to be a fascinating piece of work. Plus, if the talent alone wasn't enough to get you, even Joe Pesci has come out of retirement for this film.
This is an incredibly good get for Netflix, and, with a confirmed running time of 3 and a half hours, it will be a true cinema epic made for you by one of the maestros of the medium.
RELATED: The Irishman Gets A Netflix Release Date & Theatrical Roll Out
5 Green Eggs and Ham
Coming this fall is a new animated TV series based on Dr. Seuss' beloved Green Eggs and Ham. A 13 episode series, executive produced by Ellen Degeneres, and a co-production with Warner Brothers Television, the show will follow the main characters from Seuss' book as they go on a cross-country journey to save an endangered animal. Netflix's animated output has been very strong, and, with a cast that includes Adam Devine, Jillian Bell, Michael Douglas, and Keegan Michael-Key it's likely that this will be a big bet for the site's family programming.
4 American Son
On 1st on November Netflix will release another film, but one of their first forays into Broadway: an adaptation of the smash hit American Son. With the original Broadway cast returning, which includes Kerry Washington, the story focuses on an interracial couple who reunite at a Florida police station on account of their missing son.
A hard hitter that will tackle very strong themes about contemporary America. Certainly, one to watch out for, especially if you missed it on stage. Depending on its success, American Son could open the doors for Netflix to adapt more Broadway shows.
3 Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
It seems that Netflix just can't get enough shows about people cooking and people eating, and, this Fall, there will be even more. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner will mark the second collaboration between Netflix and celebrity chef David Chang after the success of Ugly Delicious. Chang will bring more of his food passion and infectious charm in this new series that will see him travel, with a different guest each show, to a city where they will take in culture and food, over three separate meals, over the course of one day.
2 Marriage Story
Another Netflix-produced Noah Baumbach picture (The Meyerowitz Chronicles) following another story about the trials and tribulations of family. Scarlett Johanssen and Adam Driver star as a couple trying to raise their son while they go through a particularly difficult divorce.
Baumbach has already proven himself as a master of the family dynamic, nailing both realistic dialogue and equally sympathetic and infuriating characters. With an advertising campaign that tells the story from both parents' perspectives, this could prove to be quite a divisive story. We'll have to see when it arrives this December 6th.
RELATED: Netflix Sets Release Dates For The King, Dolemite Is My Name And More
1 The Witcher
No official release date yet, but The Witcher is likely to come out at the end of this year and may one of the most hotly anticipated series of 2019. A lot of people may know the character from either of the phenomenally successful video game or book series, and this has been long overdue a screen adaptation. With Superman himself, Henry Cavill, stepping into the role, the series already has some serious clout.
Reportedly, it will follow the plot of the books—so don't worry if you haven't played the game—which have enough political intrigue, medieval horror, magic, and action that it could fill that Game of Thrones shaped hole in your heart.
NEXT: The Witcher TV Show Trailer: First Look At Henry Cavill's Geralt In Action
source https://screenrant.com/netflix-originals-coming-this-year/
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Spoiler alert! This article contains details from the second episode of season 2 of Wynonna Earp — so quickly get to another page if you haven’t watched “Shed Your Skin,” because you won’t be able to unmake your peace.
If Wynonna Earp didn’t have problems with spiders before, she sure does now. The latest episode of the Syfy series saw her and Waverly take on a hoard of eight-legged creepy crawlies, only to discover there’s something more sinister (possibly demonic) at play. Not to mention the fact she might be seeing Willa’s ghost, and that Doc appears to be pulling away, both emotionally and in terms of physical revenant-hunting support.
Elsewhere, Agent Lucado, who’s now running the team, has contracted hitmen to take out Dolls (who’s easily dodging her) and struck an under-the-table deal with Doc. As for the mustachioed, still hat-less former sharpshooter, he’s secretly recruited newcomer Rosita to help him with some secret plan in a lab set up under the bar. Meanwhile, Waverly continued digging into her past trying to verify whether she’s truly an Earp, a process that saw her make up with her girlfriend Nicole Haught and consummate their relationship. But fans might have reason to worry: the final shot of the episode saw the youngest Earp (who’s still possessed by the goo she touched at the end of last season) go into “goo mode” and bite into the carcass of the dead spider they’d collected for Black Badge earlier in the episode.
Here, executive producer Emily Andras discusses some of the big moments in “Shed Your Skin.” Plus watch an exclusive video featuring Andras and series star Melanie Scrofano discussing Mercedes Gardner, a new character on the show, and Wynonna’s friend.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Compared to some of the other creatures we’ve seen in Purgatory so far, how powerful is whatever is in Waverly?
EMILY ANDRAS: It’s definitely a threat. How powerful is it? It’s hard to say, but it’s definitely an alpha. It’s a predator.
And then we have Doc, who hasn’t quite replaced his hat yet. What gives?
I know! Hatgate 2017. I swear, there’s going to be candlelight vigils, black armbands, people saying “Remember the Hat.” The only thing worse than if he lost his hat was if he shaved his mustache, but you got to save something for future seasons! Listen, Tim Rozon is a very good-looking man. Doc’s doing just fine, but here’s hoping that there’s some sort of reunion with some sort of headwear at some point.
We saw a lot of him and Wynonna’s new dynamic, where he seems to kind of be pulling away from her a little. Is that strictly because he’s still hurt he saw her kiss Dolls, or is that because of the new deal with Lucado?
It’s a little bit of both. They just haven’t had time to kind of digest [that kiss]. Doc is a proud dude and he spent a lot of time pursuing Wynonna last year, but he’s a real manly man. I just don’t know if he wants to be anyone’s second choice. And he just knows that maybe she needs some time after killing her sister too. But also maybe he’s hurt. It’s a little bit of everything. Like all the best relationships, it’s complicated.
I especially like that we’ve now seen he’s very in tune with her feelings, even if she really hasn’t gotten there yet.
That’s it. He almost reads her better than she reads herself. He definitely knew last episode that them going for a tryst in the shower was just not a great idea. It just didn’t come from a really genuine place versus a broken place. I like that he’s mature. He’s 150 years old. I feel like even after that much time, I might become a grown up, maybe. I don’t know, though. I doubt it. But he just does kind of have a sophistication and maturity to know, maybe, what she’s feeling even before she herself understands it.
What does it mean for Wynonna to have someone who can tell her when she’s not in a good place right now?
It’s critical. As much as she might hate it and resents him and is furious at him in the short term, she definitely knows, in the long term, that Doc has her best interests at heart and that he does know her. They are so similar in temperament. They’re not sure that, deep down, they’re good people. They don’t hate the violence and the action and the grit. They get off on that. They’re adrenaline junkies, so it’s almost too honest, just because they’re mirror images of one another in so many ways. But Wynonna, more than ever, needs people who are going to be honest with her and what she’s going through and what she needs to succeed. So like I said, short-term pain, long-term gain, like the hat.
And then we have Agent Lucado. She’s gunning for Dolls independently of Black Badge, but now she also has this other deal with Doc. Where do her motivations lie?
Lucado shouldn’t be underestimated. She’s wildly ambitious and knows how to play the game. But she obviously has some personal stake in bringing Dolls down, which makes her really, really dangerous. She’s not that interested in being a good boss to Wynonna and the rest of the Scooby gang. She’s basically just biding her time and trying to figure out a way to get out of Purgatory. But because of that, she’s going to put everybody in a lot of danger, because she’s not really looking out for them or she doesn’t have their back. Dolls did, even as he was so annoying and kind of tightly wound.
We also have Rosita, who we just finally met. What can you tease about her? Is she going to fit into the group?
She’s intriguing and alluring, just basically based on the fact that she’s freaking gorgeous. Doc obviously knows her. He seems to know her and what she kind of brings to the table, which is she’s some sort of chemist or biochemist. But at the same time, she doesn’t really seem to like Doc. He ultimately basically blackmails her into working for him, so whether she fits exactly into the team or not, you’re just going to have to wait and see.
We see Waverly investigating her past and it is affecting her, the fact that she might not be an Earp, but it feels like if she told Wynonna, Wynonna wouldn’t care. Would that be the case?
I don’t know if that’s true. Wynonna has killed her own dad. She’s killed her older sister. All she has left is Waverly. So as much as Wynonna is open-minded, Waverly understands that their sisterhood is an incredibly important part of their lives. It’s what Wynonna’s holding on to right now. I agree with you that sisterhood is so much more than blood but I also don’t think Waverly wants to freak out Wynonna until she knows for sure one way or the other. Given all that Wynonna has gone through lately, Waverly is like, I just want to have all my ducks in a row before I bring this up.
I love that she’s trusted Nicole with this information and has her to help her with this.
It’s another level of their relationship — she knows Nicole has her back and won’t judge her. Nicole’s emphasis is to make Waverly happy and support her. It was so nice that even though they had their first fight, it only made them closer and stronger and bond. It’s starting to feel like a real relationship. They’re going from the passion and the dating, although that’s all there, and they’re really connecting. I love that.
How did you know you wanted them to have a big fight going into this season as opposed to building into it?
If you really look at it, they got together pretty quickly last season. All these crazy events happened but they haven’t really had time to just start their relationship. Ultimately it was a fight about Nicole’s career; she’s been denied a promotion that’s really important to her, which just serves, again, to make Nicole more of a three-dimensional character. I don’t want her to just be the girlfriend. Also, that’s what couples fight about. They don’t just fight about being lesbians or being gay or fighting demons. They fight about taxes and dishes and career and different wants and needs. It’s always been really important to me that they’re both three-dimensional characters who have real relationship challenges both supernatural and natural. Your first fight and your first makeup is such a rite of passage that it really deepens the relationship and it shows that, this year, they’re taking it to the next level.
Are there any milestones in the Wayhaught relationship that you’re very excited to tackle this season?
This was the first time they’ve actually consummated their relationship. Things have been so busy that this was the first time Waverly would say they’ve had sex, which was kind of important to tackle just in so far as one of the hallmarks of Nicole’s character is she’s so respectful of Waverly discovering herself. Nicole makes no apologies for her desires and her passion for Waverly but she really lets Waverly drive the sexy bus, so to speak. That was a good, important milestone. And having their first fight was good. But also, obviously, we have a Waverly who is affected by some sort of entity. We’re really going to have to see how well Nicole thinks she knows Waverly. When is it Waverly and when is it not and is Nicole going to be able to suss that out? How well do these two really know each other and can they come together now as people, not just as lovers?
Is there anything you could possibly tease about if Dolls might be coming back?
Don’t keep a good lizard down. That’s all I’ll say about that. Never count out a lizard man. Embroider that on a pillow.
Wynonna Earp airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy.
17 June 2017 | 3:03 am
Nivea Serrao
Source : Entertainment Weekly
>>>Click Here To View Original Press Release>>>
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June 17, 2017 at 09:33AM
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