#I've said it once and I'll say it again: 2x06 is one of the MOST retroactively mean episodes
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I was rewatching s2 last night, and ohhh man mk looks over mei so much it's not even funny. times mei has been ignored:
maybe you need to really listen! (during the blindfold ep)
mk just? grabs stuff she's using out of her hands all the time? (video game ep)
maybe you shouldn't skip the tutorials? (video game ep again)
the way he addresses her in dumpling destruction and then immediately pushes her aside for tang
i honestly remember it lowkey kinda bothering me on first watch but now it's REALLY egregious on rewatch. are you scared? I'm so scared. do you WANT to end up like shadowpeach MK
2x03 is so rude because the whole fucking episode they're like "MK you don't listen" and it's so true. He doesn't. Pigsy literally points it out again at the end of 4x14 with the whole sun screen bit:
Pigsy: "Tch, don't bother, I've been telling him that for years but he LITERALLY never listens."
Sun Wukong: "Yep! That's how we role."
-
THEY'RE SO FUCKING RUDE. "That's how we role." We. We????? Wukong and MK???? Like WHATEVER. FINE. (("I told you going against the Jade Emperor was a bad idea, but no. Wukong doesn't listen to ANYONE! He just does whatever he wants" Like shut up. Shut up!))
MK gets so stuck in his own head ("You're all stuck up in your own head! None of this is your fault!" +1 to the MK ignoring Mei counter from 4x08) and I think that really contributes to his s2 scramble to get more powerful.
LIKE:
MK: "Stop? Now? Never! I just have to try harder. It's just like the Monkey King said! *laughs manically* I just need to get stronger!"
(2x06 Game On)
VS
MK: "Why didn't he just stop, right here? He was already so much stronger than anyone ever needed to be!"
Macaque: "Wukong didn't think so, he always felt he had to be stronger—more immortal."
(4x11 A Lifetime of Mistakes)
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(Bonus thing between eps 2x03 and 2x06, look at 0:42 in this video for MK hearing Mei but not listening to her. Because of course that's what he would do. *head in my hands .png*)
The terrible s2 choices both Wukong and MK make in relation to their friends is just absolutely delicious after 4x11. Like, OH. This has been a lifelong pattern of Wukong's—paranoia is one of his fatal flaws (paired with his terrible communication and self-sacrificial nature), and while he had the power to stop LBD before he still feel's the need to go after the Samadhi Fire to stop her now, and to protect MK.
Hold on look at this parallel that I don't know what to do with:
MK: "Ugh, I can't do it!"
Mei: "It's alright MK—you did it before, you'll do it again!"
Sandy: "Yeah! Maybe it's like Monkey King said: the power will come when you need it most!"
(3x04 The Winning Side)
-
MK: "What! But you said the Samadhi fire was the only thing that could stop her!"
Sun Wukong: "I KNOW WHAT I SAID! But I've beaten her before I'll- I'll do it again! Mei was right—I need to stop dragging you into my fights, all of you."
(3x10 The Samadhi Fire)
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Wukong and MK's reach for power inspires a lot of fear in me! It does! Because, well, MK's current reach for power is going to lead him to his Monkey Form, and uh:
Like I'm scared. I'm scared!
"All doomed to play a role in tearing this world apart!" ; "This is Azure's utopia, and this barren wasteland is the price he paid to build it." ; "I'd do anything for my friends! But at the cost of the world?" "I'm sorry pal, ain't NOTHIN' worth that price!"
#I've said it once and I'll say it again: 2x06 is one of the MOST retroactively mean episodes#Game motif. The callback that 4x10 does. Whatever the fuck is going on with the MK and SWK parallels in that ep#I hate lmk's exchange theme I hate it. Like FUCK#Anyways#asks#wlw-wukong#lmk#lego monkie kid#lmk MK#lmk SWK#lmk Sun Wukong#lmk analysis#lmk theme: exchange#fuckasdfoqweg#Sandy saying ''Helping my friends is more important than anything in the world!'' in 2x08 vs#''I get it! I'd do anything to help my friends! But at the cost of the world?'' in 4x13 is SICK. SICK IT'S SICK#Sometimes it's like. Hmmm. ''If you aren't doing everything in your power to help your friends you are nothing!''#''I'd watch my sword shatter 1000 times so long as I used it to protect the ones I care about''#I'm telling you Mei would choose MK over the world. I'M TELLING YOU#MK'S ALREADY CHOSEN MEI OVER THE WORLD (thank you 3x10) AND PIGSY/TANG/SANDY OVER THE WORLD (4x02)#MK really went: ''Oh releasing this curse could end the world? Well I'll risk it for my friends!'' and I went ''ohhhh nooooooooo''#WE ARE IN SOME DEEP SHIT IN S5#And Wukong? Lol of course he's choosing the people he cares about over the world. No surprise there.#He's like ''yeah I'll go fight the jade emperor to finally be strong enough''. If eamk theory proves true he like#Chose MK over the world initially#And he was totalllyyy willing to sacrifice LBD's child host to protect his friends (MK)/the world#I'm. AUGHGHG.#''It's what he would do if he had to. That's the hard part of being a hero!'' OKAY BUT MEI WOULD YOU DO THAT SO EASILY IF IT WERE MK#ME THINKS NO#ME THINKS YOU WOULD NOT
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RNM 2x08 - Say It Ain't So
EPISODE SUMMARY:
JAMIE CLAYTON GUEST STARS — Despite promising Liz (Jeanine Mason) that he’ll take things easy with his new heart, Max (Nathan Dean) sets out to find Cameron after learning that she’s gone missing. Michael (Michael Vlamis) grows concerned about Maria (Heather Hemmens) after a surprising discovery about her family history leaves her vulnerable. Elsewhere, ready to move on, Alex (Tyler Blackburn) goes on a date with Forrest (guest star Christian Antidormi), and Rosa (Amber Midthunder) makes a decision about her future. Rachel Raimist directed the episode written by Eva McKenna & Christopher Hollier (#208). Original airdate 5/4/2020.
DETAILS:
Rosa's secret identity:
"...Cousin Rosalinda from Arizona. My mom married a minor league baseball player, but when he got relocated to a team in Florida…"
"Okay, you know what, let's just go with, they're dead."
This is a Twilight reference.
Rosa about the Mean Girl's art in the cave:
"That reminds me of Stephen Powers before he sold out."
Stephen Powers is a former street artist who went commercial. Some examples of his older work here:
Other examples of his newer, more commercial work here:
By the way, speaking of the cave:
And this is some fabulous visual storytelling right here:
Max is working at the Wild Pony. Temporarily, of course.
"Turns out debt collectors don't care if you've been half dead in a glowing pod for a few months."
So much for the headcanon that Max "I've been driving the same car since high school and am a homeowner before 30" Evans is good with his money. 😆 Debt collectors don't show up that fast… not that I know from experience or anything. 😳 *backs slowly away*
Iris refers to the cave as the go to hang spot for all the artsy weirdos. So it isn't like it was specifically Rosa's cave/hidden spot.
It's the first time we've seen this particular cave other than in 2008 flashbacks.
Iris Sanchez & Rosa Ortecho. Flower, Mexican family name. 😭 The hint is there!
Also 👀 from:
The iris earned its name from the ancient Greek Goddess Iris, a messenger to the gods who was thought to use the rainbow as a bridge between heaven and earth...these flowers were named to honor the Rainbow Goddess and bring favor upon the earth.
Mimi made Maria take back the necklace.
"She said that it was too late for her and that I needed it more."
Michael has seen the necklace before, but he didn't know what the flower was when he fixed the clasp and returned it to her in 1x10. It was 1x11 when they learned of the existence of the anti alien pollen. Michael reminds us:
"I know this flower. Its pollen has a paralytic effect on alien abilities."
Once Maria takes it off, she can name every card Michael pulls from the deck.
Maria lists off a bunch of necklace facts from past episodes that fandom has previously noted...
Her powers were heightened when Michael had the necklace in 1x10.
She wasn't wearing it when Noah invaded her at the gala.
And she wasn't wearing it at Woman As Warrior in 2x02 when she sensed that Isobel was pregnant.
"Kyle said you aren't an alien."
Fact. Kyle did say that. It doesn't mean that it's a fact that Maria doesn't have alien DNA in her though.
Kyle determined that her blood doesn't carry the alien protein that's in the Pod Squad and Rosa. He is making an assumption that the protein is tied to being an alien.
He said he ran other tests, but the results would take longer to come in.
Also, just a personal theory, what else do Rosa and the Pod Squad (and Noah) all have in common? They all spent significant time marinating in a pod full of goo. Rosa (10 years), Pod Squad (at least 50 years), Noah (60 years). Kyle has not studied any samples of alien biology from an alien who didn't spend time in pod goo. It's possible the protein is related to the pod goo, moreso than the alien biology. Again, just speculation on my part.
Maria confirms that her mom started getting sick when she was 18, just after she passed the necklace on to Maria.
"If this prevents you from having more episodes, it probably stops the neurodegeneration process too. It's not kryptonite, Maria. This is preventative medicine. Keep it on."
In 2x06 it was established that in addition to Sanders' place being a junkyard and a mechanic/auto shop, they also do tow truck service. Now that comes into play again as Michael was hired to bring Cam's car back to Roswell for the investigation into her disappearance. He brought it to the junk yard first though to give Max and Liz an hour to check the car for clues before the sheriff's department comes to collect it.
Max is smart too, in his own way. He quickly identified that "Agent Powell" was driving a rental car and that her gun wasn't government issue.
However, it's only when he sees her tattoo (which Cam told him about in 1x07) that he confirms that she's actually Charlie Cameron!
(10 points to fandom!)
Max & Liz's conversation with Charlie is mostly just reminding us what we know about Charlie and Jenna's relationship.
Liz indicates that Jenna had been looking for Charlie for months. Charlie responds that she didn't want to be found (both things we learned in 2x04 through Cam's discussion with Jesse Manes.
Max indicates that Jenna thought that Charlie hated her, a call back to us first learning about Charlie and the matching tattoos in 1x07.
"I worked on a controversial project a while back. A lot of dangerous people want to know what I know."
(Again, stuff we learned in 2x04).
They learn through Cam's text history that she was looking for Jesse Manes (which we already knew, because...2x04).
"I'm just a guy standing in front of a tourist trap asking a history buff to shoot him with high velocity paint."
Tongue-in-cheek reference to the movie Notting Hill.
"So, you're cool playing war? Doesn't bring anything up?"
"Oh, yeah, my PTSD triggers are a little more complicated. Suffice to say, this war zone is the only place that my family actually got along when I was a kid."
"Yeah, some of my old platoon buddies actually play in leagues."
"I didn't know that you served."
"Yeah I wouldn't go bragging about it to a guy with a Purple Heart. I might have googled you."
New information… both that Forrest served, that he looked into Alex (which could be innocent OR sketchy…).
And of course this is the first open discussion about Alex's PTSD issues.
Cowboys versus aliens paintball… Alex is the cowboy, so Forrest must be the alien.
The call that interrupted Forrest's attempt to kiss Alex was from the hospital. Hence why Alex goes there to see Jesse.
"Look, if I had a little lucky charm that could stop people like Noah from messing with me, I would have that surgically implanted into my décolletage."
Have to admit, I wasn't sure what décolletage meant, so in case anyone else isn't familiar:
"These abilities are a part of me. I'm not gonna just throw away the chance to learn about who I am. That make sense to you?"
"Yeah, actually, it does."
"You've gotten stronger this year, right? Can you teach me to train? Learn how to control it all?"
"Look, it took a lot of practice before I could do anything without puking and guzzling acetone to kill the pain. And you can't practice, because according to Kyle, every time you do it eats your brain."
"Look, I'll stop before it goes that far, okay? I know the signs. Besides, if you help me, maybe I can help you. There must be something that you want to know about your future."
"What about my past?"
Max meeting with Jesse at the Crashdown. This is super interesting because it's the first time Max has sat down, face to face, with a hostile human who knows he's an alien.
"My uncle used to bring me here. That was back when it catered to a more civil clientele. People who actually respected the history of this town."
This is likely foreshadowing what's to come next week, based on the promo pics released.
Again, similar to the scene with Charlie at the junkyard, much of this exchange between Max and Jesse is just reminding us of stuff we learned in 1x04.
"The last time I saw her she came to me with questions about her sister. And I told her that the people most interested in Charlie's device were a black ops group based out of Los Alamos. They're called Deep Sky. This is their logo. Paramilitary. And I told Jenna that what she was getting into was gonna be dangerous. But apparently she didn't listen.
Note: in case any of you are unaware, in Los Alamos there's a US DOE lab that has a long, sketchy history of weapons development. Makes perfect since that it's where a paramilitary organization interested in Charlie's research would be based there.
The Deep Sky Logo
I compared this to a number of screenshots of alien symbols (like the ones we saw in Jim Valenti's letters in 1x12) and there were no matches.
However, fandom has already noted that the logo matches Trevor's ring in 2x06 (see that episode's details post for the photo).
"Charlie Cameron's mind is a unique specimen. Kind of like you. And there's always someone in the shadows waiting to crack those open."
"What did you do to Jenna?"
"I told her the truth. Which is more than you ever did. You're kind of a wolf in sheep's clothing, aren't you?"
"And what are you? Do you feel like a hero? All those people you tortured, all those people you killed. Turns out none of them were an enemy. They were refugees. So you're not just a murderer, you're a failure."
"Yeah, I know. I am. But I tell you, something shifted in my brain when I had the stroke. All the hate's gone out of me. All the fight. Caulfield is over and my son Flint has been reassigned. Look at me. I can barely walk."
Liz and Charlie in the car:
"Waitressing's really got to blow when you've grown a fully functioning heart muscle in a lab. Or are you not the same Elizabeth Ortecho who co-authored a 2013 paper on cellular reprogramming? Some people build model trains; I do my homework. Your boyfriend seems more like the train type."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"We've discovered new worlds and changed the course of mankind from a microscope. Should I go Netflix and chill with my boyfriend or stay in the lab, architecting the future?"
"No offense, but if it's true that you've been in prison and in hiding, it does not seem like you've seen much of the inside of a lab either."
"I went too far. I thought I was building something with real value. The thing is, anything that has the potential to create real change, it scares people. And anything that scares people is inherently dangerous no matter what your intention is."
"You could start over. Get a new identity, work at a research university."
"I've done extraordinary things. Everything ordinary is ruined now."
More exposition that we already know as Max catches Charlie and Liz up on what he learns from Jesse.
"He said Cam is headed to Los Alamos to investigate a group called Deep Sky. Does that mean anything to you?"
"No. Let me reach out to some of my military contacts, do some recon. Give me a day, we'll go from there."
Liz and Michael, in the lab, on The Science:
"I'm looking for the sample of yellow pollen."
"The stuff I swept off the floor after throwing it at Noah? I don't know. I didn't see it while we were packing up."
"Well it was here a few months back. Did I miss an experiment where it grew legs and a fondness for the outdoors?"
"Could have been accidentally thrown away. Sample was too oxidized to be of much use, and I've been trying to get my hands on fresh flowers, but it's impossible. I think they might be extinct. Why are you freaking out?"
"Because I have a math problem. There's only one flower in Maria's necklace, but there are two DeLuca women and apparently the flower is the key to preventing their illness. This is everything from the Caulfield drives and the experiments done on Maria's grandmother. A lot of it was lost in a lab fire in the '80s, but…"
"I'll take a look."
(Aside… 👀 Lab fire in the '80s. I have a feeling that's more foreshadowing.)
"I just want you to see if anything done could be undone. I don't want you to, like, Dr. Frankenstein it. The experiments were very bad."
"My days as an alien scientist are officially over."
"Why don't I believe you?"
"'Cause it's hard not to think about the far-reaching implications of this kind of research. You don't get sick on this planet. If I could figure out why, I could eradicate all illness."
"But you can't. Because that would expose us."
"Which I would obviously never do. It's over."
Arturo's text to Liz:
Have you seen our little mouse?
"Rosalinda" is late for her first shift.
Isobel and Maria go to Michael's trailer and Isobel shows Maria the newspaper clip of Michael's mom to try to trigger a vision.
"It's not working. And I don't feel great going through this stuff without Michael knowing."
"Why not? One day this palace might all be yours."
"It's not working. I have a business to run, and you need to go Instagram something."
"Says the social media revitalizer. Listen, word to the wise, every time Max saw Liz in a skirt and tried not to pop a bulb, he wound up setting off a fire alarm. Everytime I push myself too hard, I miss time, or wind up accidentally realizing that my mom still thinks about her ex-boyfriend Rocco, like, in vivid detail."
"Okay, where are you going with this?"
"Effort doesn't equal control. So if you want to do this you're gonna have to embrace your inner ice queen and let it go."
"I'm not great at letting things go."
"Yeah, I know. That's hard…"
Maria's vision:
Triggered by a t-shirt hanging in the trailer.
Louise is hanging laundry
Walt runs up to her and gives her a little windmill with her name on it. (Initially I thought her name was pressed or punched into the metal, but on second viewing, it looks like it might be puff paint or something similar.)
Walt runs off to find Nora and Louise goes back to hanging laundry.
After the vision Maria's nose starts bleeding.
Max goes after Charlie to stop her from turning herself in.
I wonder if his tire screeching action guy driving is supposed to be emphasizing to the audience that he's not being as cautious as he should be?
Deep Sky said that if Charlie "...wasn't at Sutter's grain depot by 11pm, that they would torture (Cam) to death."
Charlie heard on the call:
A train rolling by
A demonic laugh
And somehow that's enough for Max to magically know exactly where Cam is.
Alex and Jesse at the hospital:
"Hey, they said that you mixed whiskey with your medications. That's not like you."
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"I don't know. I mean, you're my father. I can't seem to shake you."
"Yeah. I failed."
"Yes. But in what way specifically?"
"Uncle Tripp. I let him down. I never could figure out what he needed of me. And tonight I went to the bunker. And I keep trying to crack the code."
"Liz said that you spoke to Max Evans. She said that you were half decent to him. Is that what this is about?"
"One of them killed Tripp, you know."
"An alien? Yeah. Then he hunted them. He dragged them to a torture chamber. I'm not surprised one of them…"
Jesse slams his cane.
"He was the best man I ever knew.
Jesse tries to stand and falls into Alex, then continues to walk away.
The location that Deep Sky is holding Cam looks like a rodeo or horse arena or racetrack with a big grandstand.
There are nearby train tracks, and a warehouse where a mechanic repairs old carnival rides.
As Max and Charlie are scoping out the area you can hear both sounds softly in the background.
The sniper was watching and shooting at them from the grandstand.
Charlie is shot in the leg.
"Let me go get her."
"No. Deep Sky wants me alive. Your brain is worth considerably less to them which means it'll be splattered all over the dirt."
(Oh the irony...confirming that Charlie doesn't know that Max is an alien.)
"If anything goes wrong, call Liz. No doctors."
Max does shoot the sniper!
And then uses his powers to knock out the power (and instantly feeling it in his heart when he starts to use his powers!!!!!!) which, as @angsty-aliens very eloquently pointed out, is absurd because there was a big red lever that would have done the same thing. *facepalm*
Cam on her kidnapping:
"The last thing I remember is this weird sound. It made the hairs on my arm stand up. And this bright light, and the pain in the back of my neck like you wouldn't believe."
Cam's burn is fractals. Like Liz's burn from Max's powers in 1x03. Top is Liz's fresh burn in 1x03, bottom is Cam's not-so-fresh burn in 2x08. Keep in mind, we don't know how long Cam was missing for.
Rosa and Iris at the "art show".
"So you said you're from Roswell?"
"Oh, I was from Roswell. I got out and went to art school as soon as I graduated. I work for an artist now. I help her run her gallery. Yeah, I used to want to be a painter, but then I realized I loved curating art way more than I ever loved making it."
👀 I wonder what this says about Rosa's internal motivation. If Iris is the life she wishes that she had, does she not want to be a painter? Or is that her internal insecurity rearing its head. Like, she can't even dream about that possibility because it's what she really wants above all else. Which is why Iris then motivates her to paint and prove to her inner self that she is an artist?
Speaking of which, here's Rosa's painting from the episode. Mucho gracias to @rosaortecho for giffing it for me since it wasn't cap-able in a single shot.
Iris's assessment of Rosa's art:
"This piece is you outrunning your demons. This is amazing. That's what you have to do. You have to capture them and rattle the cage. This is art. This is what you're meant to do, Rosa!"
Rosa's hallucination starts to fall apart as they dance. She starts coughing and having trouble breathing.
"Your star sign's just out of whack."
Play on lyrics from God of Wine by Third Eye Blind, which was heavily referenced in 1x02.
The direct quote is "your star sign's out of whack" and the next lyric is "a fraudulent zodiac"
Which, of course, is what Rosa had written on her hand before she died in 2008 and is a reference to Ophiuchus, which was Noah's zodiac obsession.
And then Liz finds her overdosing in the cave.
The coughing in Rosa's hallucination was from smoke inhalation. Because while passed out she started a fire with her powers.
Feels like a good time to point out that it's the same cave that she died in back in 2008, and she would have died there again if Liz hadn't found her. 😭
At the hospital Rosa tells Liz that she wants to go to rehab, but she knows she can't since she can't control her powers.
Liz gives her Maria's necklace to borrow since it will suppress her powers and allow her to go to rehab.
Alex and Forrest at the Wild Pony:
"I still have my dad's voice in my head telling me that being seen with a man in public is an embarrassment. To my name and my uniform."
"Well, there's nothing like a dad voice to mess up a perfectly good date."
"It's also just that...I mean, Roswell's so conservative. This bar is filled with cowboys. If you want to go someplace private…"
"Look, I like you. But I don't want to climb into somebody else's closet."
"I cannot tell you how badly I want to be done with this frickin' closet."
"But you're not. And that's okay. Really. Listen, if that voice in your head ever shuts up, give me a call. Because between you and me, making out with a hot guy in public is only made hotter when it pisses off all the bigots and homophobes."
Charlie took off and left a note for Jenna. According to Jenna it says she's gonna disappear again and not to look for her.
Arturo is taking Rosa to a rehab center that Kyle set her up with "a few hours away".
Max tells Liz "let's go home." So… did she move in with him??
Liz says no though. She says she has to open the diner and cry alone. But instead she goes to the secret lab.
Both Max and Liz were evading the truth a little bit here. Liz didn't tell Max that she wanted to go to the secret lab. Max didn't tell Liz that his heart did wonk out after using his powers and he did overdo it going after Cam. Bad Echo!!
Liz goes back to packing the secret lab up initially, but then her eyes fall into the Caulfield folders, and she stops.
She unpacks her stolen equipment (genetic sequencer?), puts on her lab coat, and sits down to start reading the file.
Isobel brings Michael beer as a peace offering, since she's coming to admit that she helped Maria trigger a vision. She thinks Michael will be mad, but he isn't because he and Maria already worked it out.
So Isobel tells him about the vision and seeing Louise, and specifically about Walt giving Louise the windmill.
Michael immediately reacts, goes to a shelf, and grabs a similar windmill.
Turns out Walt is Sanders. He pulls up in his car and Michael immediately confronts Sanders.
"It was you. You're Walt. You're the little boy in the photo. You knew my mother."
And Sanders nods.
10 more points to fandom.
Max goes to Charlie's hotel to confront her about turning herself in to Deep Sky.
The windmill in both scenes. Until I put this together I didn't think they were the same one (because Louise's name isn't on Michael's. But other details (like the word weight on one of the legs) are the same.
"You think Deep Sky needs to have Jenna by the throat to kill her? Okay, the only way that I can protect her is from the inside."
Then the "abduction scene" happens.
It mirrors what happened to Jenna in 2x04, only to Max and Charlie.
MUSIC:
1. Hole "Celebrity Skin"
2. Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real "Die Alone"
3. Shelly Fairchild "Worry No More"
4. Marc Danzeisen "Some Things Last Forever"
5. Joey Sykes "Sign Of The Times"
6. I AM ORFA "Like That Look"
7. Danny Ayer "Set Us Free"
8. Hamish Anderson "Trouble"
9. OMC "How Bizarre"
10. Muscadine Bloodline "Movin' On"
11. Little May "Hide"
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