#every time i see this scene i feel like this is the dynamic loki and thor shared

[iamanartichoke]

Thor: Why is Jane being so aloof?

Loki: Aw, aloof. Look who didn't skip English this week.

Thor: I remembered it because it sounded like a dog that has a cold. A-woof! A-woof!

Loki:

Loki, smiling grudgingly: ... Yeah, it does.

Thor: Yeah.

Loki: Look, Thor, you and Jane have been together for almost a year. You're at the point where you don't have to be together every minute. Your relationship is steadfast.

Thor: Steadfast?

Loki: It means solid.

Thor, nodding: Thanks, Loki. Now I can skip English.

Loki:

Thor: Hey, do me a steadfast and say here when they call my name? Thanks!

#incorrect brodinsons #wizards of waverly place #there's no way to adapt this into asgardian but #every time i see this scene i feel like this is the dynamic loki and thor shared #when they were young and being tutored (as royal children do) #and it makes me giggle every time

[art-ro-vert]

If Sylki is endgame, I will be so disappointed…

Not just that I personally see their dynamic as siblings-like. But more because she is so toxic with him and I really hope he would not end up in a relationship with her…

Just the bar scene, when he pours his heart out and tells that he doesn’t want to be alone. And she is just “well, see you are also selfish” and then she leaves him to “write his own story” a moment after she basically made him confess his fears of abandonment…

I don’t really think we will get Lokius at the end, but just imagine the same conversation if it was Mobius instead.

Not even going out of character and assuming romantic subtext. Just as Mobius really is in the show, he would definitely reassure Loki that he is not alone and that he will stay by his side no matter what. And he wouldn’t accuse him of being selfish, because he is afraid to be alone…

I just see how every time Loki is being genuine with Sylvie she replies with cruelty. If they make it endgame it will just show people that it is okay to to hurt your loved once to feel better…

#loki mcu #Loki #loki season 2 #loki series #loki 2x05 #lokius #loki x mobius #mobius m mobius

[arty-holly]

I never thought I'll enjoy Ep Nagi so much, but this spinoff has me feeling all kinds of things.

Stalker Reo 😭. The extents he goes to be Nagi's friend. Nagireo was never my thing, but I'm starting to see the appeal.

I think we as a fandom collectively ignore how funny Nagi is. The "legs broken" , " cells dead" 😂, Nagi is a relatable icon.

The expression in his eyes... they did such a great job with the art. And Reo clearly didn't understand how much of a big deal Nagi saying this was, bcz from a person who considers existing a pain, this is HIGH praise. Yep, definitely shipping Nagireo now.

God really isn't.🥲 Why does my boy Niko have to go through this?? From his perspective, this must look so horrifying. "Hugs Niko through screen".

Glad we have zantetsu's backstory now. I am LIVING for this friendship.

The Nagi- Zantetsu scene in the bath was so so cute. A depressed weirdo and a ostracized idiot finding a tentative comfort in each other. It really makes me wonder how Zantetsu is doing in PxG with all the ...interesting combination of people there. He seems like the type to straight up ask Loki why is a 17 yr old teaching them. Wonder how he'll bond with members like Tokimitsu and Rin. And his whole dynamic with PxG.

Protective Nagi!!

The "Nagi-kun" 😂 . Even Reo is sweating at how unnaturally angry Nagi is at Barou for hurting Reo. And I don't blame him at all. Bcz this chapter reminded me of why I dislike Barou so much.

I mean his behaviour here,

My heart is breaking for the other team. The desperation in the eyes of that blond kid , the bangs kid's sobbing... It really makes you feel for the rest of players who got locked off like Naruhaya and had an even worse time bcz of a bitch like Barou. Worst part is he meant every word he says here.

I'm sorry to all the Barou stans here, if you don't like what I'm saying, simply block me.

Ppl can call on-field Isagi and Rin rude all they want. Hell, even Sae does’nt bring people down in this manner. But nothing comes close to Barou spouting this kind of trash to his team. That they shouldn't even consider themselves human bcz they couldn't score a goal against Nagi.

And the way he was so insensitive to Snuffy opening up about Mick's death. Who tf actually tells a grieving person they won't end up like said dead guy bcz they're better or whatever, high key insulting Mick. Not a drop of compassion in him. Snuffy has the most patience in this entire facility for putting up with his bs.

Sae is rude to reporters, Barou is simply a deplorable human being with no excuse for his actions. I will be cheering Isagi on when he humiliates this guy in my reread. The only good thing I can say about him is that he's a great antagonist. If you stan Barou, atleast stan him as the jerk he is and not excuse his actions.

You tell him, babe! ( the way he caught Reo I- )

What. A. Badass.

Said it before and I'll say it again. The art in Ep Nagi is absolutely phenomenal. Esp, the shading on the other side of Nagi's face is stunning. Well, that's abt it for the first part of Ep Nagi.

#Ep Nagi review? #Nagi Seishiro #Reo Mikage #lights a candle for those poor kids in Barou's team #i'm glad you're not in there too Zantetsu #Barou Shoei #i was itching to say that slander against Barou #and it feels so good #Ep Nagi #Blue Lock #my bllk posts

[technicalthinker]

I feel like debating who Loki was talking to when he said "For You" in the last episode, is missing the point of the scene. And people referring to it as "cowardly" and a "no-homo" moment is just?? Baffling to me tbh because like;

First of all, it is obviously intended to be to both of them? If they only wanted to make it about Sylvie, Mobius wouldn't be there. If they only wanted to make it about Mobius, Sylvie wouldn't be there. If they wanted to make it about everyone they would've just framed it more equally, he does do it for all his friends ("for all of us"), but they have that scene to highlight these two specific relationships. The framing is quite clear, they have him take a last look at all of his friends before going down the stairs, but Mobius and Sylvie runs after him to have a final significant moment.

Which absolutely makes sense and is consistent with the show we have seen so far, s1 and s2 combined, which is what I love about it. And it was to be honest a surprise! Going into this season, I had little hope for Loki/Mobius interactions, just didn't want to expect too much since S1 had a lot of their connection, but that could've been it. I was shocked when s2ep1 was full to the brim with Loki and Mobius scenes? And then they kept reinforcing every week that they care about each other, is a funny duo to watch, and are important to one another.

And despite this, I expected the rug to at some point be pulled, especially compared to Loki's relationship to Sylvie. No matter people's personal viewing on the show, she is still cited as a love interest by showrunners and is just portrayed as that by the narrative a lot of the time. Sidelining that, even in s2 when the romantic hints are more vague, she's still a very important person in Loki's life. She played a central part of the plot and Loki's own character development of understanding himself.

So to me, I was surprised seeing Mobius and Sylvie side by side in the end. Both being framed as The important people in Loki's life. Then, however you wanna see in what ways they are important is up to you, but they are the people he keeps coming back to for advice and self-reflection. You can frame it as "oh it should've been only been Mobius and they added Sylvie to downplay it", which, I just disagree with (If they wanted to go for explicitly canon Lokius they needed to set that up even more earlier in the season but that's a post for another day). Sylvie is still like, a constant in the narrative and driving force of s1, even if s2 changes things around a bit, and imo it would be inconsistent if she just vanished here. I guess I am used to media that downplays a meaningful dynamic between two dudes in more aggressive ways, which they absolutely could've done, and would've taken me out of the story to be honest... but they didn't, Mobius and Sylvie got to be side by side in the end and that imo validated the Loki/Mobius dynamic way more than downplays it.

TLDR; The "For you" was for both Mobius and Sylvie because why would you frame it that way otherwise, and having them side by side like that validates Lokius way more than downplays it in a "no-homo" way considering the full context of the show.

#marvel blogging #amanda rambles #loki #lokius #putting it in the tag in case people have other thoughts id be curious #ive been struggling with this post but needed to gET IT OUT bc it has been rattling in my brain #sorry if it ended up incoherent anyway #loki spoilers #kinda decided against putting it in the s*lki tag bc i feel like i downplay it a bit here and i know u dont want that #like i dont reALLY enjoy playing the 'my ship is VALID and sUPPORTED BY CANON' debating and i feel like i touch on it here. #but i kinda just want to like. throw my thoughts in #to why i DID feel good about this. #like whenever they do those almost looking into the camera no-homo moments it just breaks immersion COMPLETELY #if all the actors today said in interviews that it is never intended and would never be intended to be anything else that is one thing #but when a character says something like that that feels like it is ONLY to dismiss any chances in canon. even if unnatural etc. feels bad #and this wasnt IT #i know the big mcu show doesnt need me defending it but this sure reads like a defense of the show huh #tbh it started with the first paragraph bc this is also about media analsys #ALSO if u hc that it was to one of them it's like. ok. but like. #maybe not throw conspiracies out there. #also these posts AND tags are becoming longer. im losing my mind but it's fine.

[tommysm0ondust]

‼️LOKI SEASON 2 EP 4 SPOILERS‼️

I'm. what. what the fuck. what do I even say.

please if anyone noticed hints in the credits tell me cuz what the hell.

I was like "ok they won't kill Timely" AND THEN. HUH.

DUDE.

WHAT

man this episode was good

"we are gods" TEEHEE

also Mobius and Loki fighting over who's in the suit was so funny. I love them sm.

ALSO ALSO, when he was talking to Sylvie he was like "it's safe bc of Mobius........ and B-15" I swear he was probably only thinking of Mobius and then remembered B-15. He loves him so much hahaha (I'm delusional)

but no fr I'm loving their dynamic and I really do not see loki and Sylvie being a thing this time around.

last season they tried to make em all like cutesy and stuff but not this time, which I like as a Lokius shipper🫶💥 (no hate to sylki shippers tho you do you‼️^^)

I LOVED Loki and Sylvie using their magic🫶🫶🫶 their my bbgs.

the end of the episode was just. wtf. as I said in the beginning of the post. HE JUST IMMEDIATELY GOT SPAGHETTIFIED. LIKE. AHHH.

also what the hell is gonna happen next episode.

how are they gonna live. that thing just exploded. they're not gonna escape that

ALSO RAVONNA LITERALLY. KILLED THEM. ALL OF EM. uhhhhhh the noises in that scene made me feel SICK ☹️☹️☹️☹️

the ONE time I was just HOPING for a post credits scene we don't get one grrrrrr

how will I wait a week now.

ok that's it. I needed to rant a bit about this episode because I think I went through every emotion in existence.

#wtf was this episode #im so #i cannot express my emotions #idek #it was wack #but hey more of lokius being an old married couple #i love my not-exactly-middle -aged not-exactly-men #loki spoilers #loki odinson #loki series #loki season 2 #lokius #loki x mobius #time husbands #sylvie #sylvie laufeydottir #loki laufeyson #marvel

[imperiuswrecked]

Could you please tell me your favourite Namor character team up comics or team book comics? Hope this makes you feel better. Sending my best wishes.

Thank you ❤️

First is Doctor Doom, literally any Doctor Doom and Namor comic, as soon as those two are on page together I'm happy. There's a rec list here.

Invaders: any and all the Invaders but especially the core group of Jim, Bucky, Toro, and Steve. Favorites: Captain America & Namor (2012) #635.1, Captain America & Bucky (2011) #622, Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty (1998) #2-4, Marvel Team Up (1997) #9, Winter Soldier: Winter Kills (2007), Captain America (2005) #46-48

Defenders: This team is so special to me, the core founding team of Namor, Silver Surfer, Valkyrie, Doctor Strange, and Hulk/Bruce Banner. This team is the definition of dysfunctional team that held together with duct tape and a lot of wine that Stephen can drown himself in every time they in fight, lol. I really love their dynamic and as for comics, I think its hard to pick out bc I like them as a whole, like Fear Itself: The Deep holds a special place in my heart but I really enjoy the whole team and when new people come and go its good.

The Cabal is so fun, the original Cabal, with Namor, Doom, Emma, and Loki on the team, I really think they had a lot of potential and wish Marvel could have done more with them. There isn't really many comics with them, but their scenes were fun. I listed all the comics where you can see these recs and look up team comics in my old reading list.

#namor #comic recs #imp answers

[marvel-ousmondays]

The Avengers (Avengers Assemble)

So it took me a week to finish watching The Avengers.

It wasn't the movie's fault. It's a great film, especially if you are into the action-packed, fighting scenes. The dynamic between characters is great, and it has one of (if not my absolute) favorite quotes of the series.

But it is 2 hours and 23 minutes long and I had a weird week in terms of work, plus I wasn't actually feeling like watching a bunch of fight scenes. So it took a hot minute. Also, I had just finished season 2 of Loki not that long ago and going back to really bad Loki was a bit hard. He has few if any redeemable qualities in this one.

I'm not going to attempt a standard review given my less than standard watching procedure. I'm just going to call out things I liked.

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow will forever be flipping incredible. In the Battle of New York where she's jumping on the flying Chitari and such- epic. But also her clear care for Barton and her emotional manipulation of both the criminals at the beginning and Loki later on- chef's kiss. I'm so glad she's the one to close the portal.

(Quick side note/small spoiler- there's a fan theory going around that her "feelings" for Banner in Ultron are all fake, just a method of control. I call bullshit. She is clearly fascinated by him throughout this film. If anyone's feelings are fake, it'd be Banner's, but Mark Ruffalo is too genuine for us to ever know.)

Erik Selvig and Barton both under Loki's control and then when they come out of it did incredible jobs. I particularly like the writing of Selvig under Loki's control- the science fascination unbridled, versus any actual desire for power. I think this hits the Tesseract's power and Loki's manipulation abilities dead on- they don't project what Loki would assume others would want onto them- they magnify the worst parts of anyone's desires and abilities. Barton is a master strategist and Selvig wants to understand every aspect of the cosmos. Generally these are traits they've put to good use. But under Loki, they're manipulated into awful acts.

Samuel L. Jackson's line "I recognize the council has made a decision, but as it is a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it" could be emblazoned on my tombstone and I'd be happy. The delivery was pitch perfect and always makes me laugh, while also being deadly serious.

Coulson- Clark Gregg's best role by far and the small amount of fanboying here just humanized his normally very stoic disposition so well. So glad they did opt to bring him back and in style.

I'm a huge Mark Ruffalo fan, both as an actor and just as a human being. It was incredibly difficult to come in after Edward Norton to fill this role but he nailed it. The moment when he tells about how he tried to commit suicide and the Hulk spat the bullet back out breaks my heart every time. There's obviously a lot of parable here about learning how to channel your anger. I personally think anger has gotten a bad rap, especially among women and activists. Righteous anger, as Starfire might say (yes, I know, I'm daring to mix DC and Marvel again, fight me later), is a powerful motivator. Anger can fuel us to change that which needs changing, but it has to be directed. Hulk shows that well enough. But I also appreciate the slow realization by Banner throughout the film that the Hulk is less crazed, destructive monster and more protector. We're not *there* just yet by the end, there's still some concern, but he's beginning that process of acceptance and understanding.

Captain America is mostly well written here, particularly in demonstrating he doesn't just follow the U.S. or orders blindly any more. He still sees himself as a soldier, but when Tony and Bruce alert him to the smell of fish in the air, he goes looking for answers. This is key character development for him as there was a time where he would have considered himself more bound to higher-ranking officials. However, I would wager Marvel regrets the one "God" comment they made in there as it doesn't really fit him overall.

Stark and Thor perform well, I just don't have a lot of commentary for either. Their rivalry is solid, though the idea that Thor would leave his brother unattended, even in remote mountains, seems unlikely.

I will also argue for more women sooner but that ship has sailed. I had forgotten about Thanos in the post- credits scene, so that was a good addition.

Note for me

Directed by: Joss Whedon

#marvel #marvel mcu #mcu

[peachyspaceslvt]

peachy's fic recs

my masterlist of fic recs from ao3! I'll keep this post updated with new fics as I read them 💜 I also bookmark recs on my ao3 (just in case I missed any here)

warnings - most of these contain smut and are reader fics unless they are for a ship

✧ - ongoing - fic isn't complete but is absolutely worth subbing to

✦ - complete - completed multi-chapter fic

♡ - one shot

➥ Loki

✦ Fǫruneyti by Evaldrynn - A fantasy/royalty longfic and one of my absolute favorite Loki fics, it ticks so many boxes.

✦ She Shall Have by lowkeyorloki - Another royalty longfic and favorite of mine!

♡ Quiet Corners by StraySketches - Smutty one-shot that takes place during an Asgardian party

✦ Cats & Criminals by Evaldrynn - A six chapter quick burn that is absolutely worth the read

~ By Hook or By Crook by give-me-a-moose (quirky_turtle) - this is actually a series of one-shots that follow a storyline, with a few being AUs, they're all wonderfully written and I highly recommend!

➥ Tangerine

♡ Too easy to love by Hollybell51 - nice little smutty one shot that kinda stole my heart

✦ The Right Distance by Kiwicane - I literally think about this fic every single day, it had me in a chokehold the entire time I was reading and I haven't moved on.

✦ Toeing the Line by crispywriter - juicy smut filled two parter that took me out

✧ Sophisticated by Tawus - very excited to see where this fic is going, it's fantastic so far

✧ Only If For A Night - Mortal_Wombat - I love the premise for this fic so much and it keeps getting better with each update

✧ The Slaughter of a Lamb by SpookySpecterino - this one is such a wild ride and I'm interested to see how it plays out

✧ like any unloved thing by venusthepirate - this one just made me fall in love with Tangerine even more, it's just so good!

➥ Joel Miller

✧ A Slice of Orange by Dinsbitch - I’m already enjoying this one so much, I fear it’ll be the cause of further Joel brainrot.

➥ Steven Grant | Marc Spector

✦ fallen from heaven, grown on earth by davosmymaster - This fic made me feel so many things, had me crying and giggling and kicking my feet.

✦ Red Flags by Astroboots, thirstworldproblemss - this one had me hooked from the beginning

✧ Sweetie by MoonShadows - another ongoing MK fic, but absolutely worth the read!

➥ Bucky

♡ What Do We Say To Death? Not Today by ACourtofSnakesandStars - Filthy one shot I haven't stopped thinking about

♡ A Helping Hand by ACourtofSnakesandStars - another filthy Bucky oneshot that still has a grip on my soul

♡ Returning The Favour by ACourtofSnakesandStars - a part 2 to the previous fic, just as spicy

♡ to build a home by dirty_holy_things - perfect read if you want to experience a wide range of emotions and also get your fill of smut

➥ Peter Parker (TASM)

✧ Nice Inconvenience by sweetpuddings - smutty multichapter fic, reader is kinda sassy and the smut is top tier

✧ Approach Shift by zinzinina - started reading this when it was just the first chapter and it just keeps getting better

✧ Scenes From an Italian Restaurant by WasPenned - another one of those fics I kinda haven't stopped thinking about, I love the dynamic and the build up is so good

➥ Hellcheer

✧ Keep Sweet, Pray, and Obey by PhoenixTalon - one of the first hellcheer fics I read, it resonates deeply and deals with dismantling purity culture in such a great way!

#peachys recs

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

Hi, I know it's not about Stephen, Loki or Steve, but-

Thor's character has also been mishandled throughout his appearances, which doesn't make it easy to know what to keep and what not to keep when writing fanfiction. Like, what are we supposed to do with the Warrior Three and Sif? His grief about Frigga (and Odin, potentially)? His relationship with Loki? Does he use a bit of humor to cope or is it the Taika influence?

I was wondering what you thought about it and if there's a way to make his different character interpretations fit together semi-coherently ':)

Hi dear! 😊

I think Thor's best characterization is TDW, pretty much every scene in that movie is perfect for him, especially his argument with Odin after Frigga's death (he's so brave there, I love it!). I'd also include his unwillingness to listen to Loki or question his past, that's a rather big flaw that I think would be super interesting to handle in a fic - but from Thor's perspective, not Loki's.

I do believe Thor uses humour but more as a way to deflect than to make jokes or be sarcastic. Knowing his upbringing as a golden child, he would have spent all his life longing to please Odin, so he's very high on external validation and probably longs for approval, but vulnerability is not one of Odin's biggest traits so Thor kind of mimicked that - whenever things get a little too close, he shuts down.

Like that scene with Sif in TDW during the feast, or the deleted scene with Loki in the first movie ("when have you known me to be nervous?" - vulnerability? what is that? I'm strong all the time!).

Also he was super lonely for most of his life, that's probably why his relationship with Loki isn't all that healthy: it wasn't just the triangulation, it's the fact that I never quite saw the Asgardians being capable of looking at him as anything other than "prince of Asgard" and "Odin's son". And the Warriors 3 and Sif only make things worse: they're basically 'yes men' but other than party and battle buddies, I don't see them as true friends. All this comes with its own identity issues for him.

Thor is only ever a little open with Heimdall, which is why it didn't surprise me in IW when he called him a friend but said nothing of the others.

And I think from his perspective, his relationship with Loki is twisted mostly out of fear. I don't think his upbringing was easy at all (this is an unpopular opinion though) but he was afraid to lose his position so he did everything to protect the dynamic - and Loki's nature is to be the necessary change. Like a mirror, if you will, looking at Loki means Thor has to face the truth of his own situation in the family and so he finds it a lot easier to destroy that mirror than really look at himself in it.

So... oops this one is getting long, isn't it? 😂 Okay, I'll point out now a few scenes I think are important to Thor's characterization but I'll do so after the cut.

As I said, I think all of TDW is perfect.

From the first Thor movie, I think one of the best scenes is when Loki visits to tell him he's now on the throne. I love it because Thor doesn't question it, he never doubts Loki's legitimate ascend to King of Asgard, quite the opposite: he accepts it fully and asks for permission to return. He doesn't act like it's his right at all, he asks Loki if he will allow him to go back and when Loki says no he accepts it.

Another great scene is when Jane is thinking of quitting but Thor sees that and takes the time to encourage her. I point this one out because I always read fans who claim he has no emotional intelligence, that's not true at all!

In fact, in Ragnarok when he's all mad at Bruce because he's not being a good friend to him, once he realizes he has hurt his feelings he apologizes immediately. He has every right to be mad and grieving, but he takes the time to comfort Hulk who, quite frankly, doesn't deserve the compassion by the way he's acting towards Thor.

Oh and another scene in the first movie, when he tells Sif to live so that she can tell the stories of her battles herself. This one is great as it shows that while he values Asgard and its battle culture, he also feels the lives of those around him are valuable, more than the legends.

He does show off every now and then though. I love his entire scene with Stephen in Ragnarok, it always reminds me of his cocky moments in battle ("anyone else?" in TDW after he kills the Kronan, for instance) or the times he tries to show off for Jane, Darcy, etc. He's a bit of a dork too ("I thought you liked tricks!" to Loki in TDW or the entire escape from Asgard scene.)

And of course the blind rage in IW, probably the biggest scene for me is when he enjoys stabbing Thanos, that's something we had never seen before: he's prone to violence yeah, he's battle-happy, but he doesn't "enjoy" inflicting pain. That's one dark trait that we had never seen in him before.

He has his negative qualities though, aside from what I have already said, he's too blinded by Asgard's propaganda (the Valkyries weren't heroes, he needed Hela to tell him what should have been obvious to him), he's a little too trigger-happy and impulsive, he keeps everyone at arm's length...

So yeah, I don't know if this is what you were hoping for, but I hope it was helpful somewhat 🤷‍♀️😂

#is the read more option working? I'm not sure it is. Apologies if it isn't! #Thor #Loki #I love how anon knows who my 3 main guys are #is it that obvious that those 3 are my favourites? 😂

[legion1227]

72 Shows Watched in 2023: Ranked!

72. Titans (Season 4)- 2/5.

As someone who genuinely enjoyed the first two seasons, the fall-off was immensely disappointing. Season 3 was disappointing, but I'm more infuriated with season 4. I did not like the setup or payoff with Trigon, Brother Blood, and any other antagonists this season, or Superboy's character arc. A disappointing, dull slog the entire way through.

71. The Witcher (Season 3)- 2.5/5

I thought the third season started fine. Henry Cavill as Geralt will always be iconic. The rest of the cast, characters like Yennefer, Ciri, and Jaskier are compelling when onscreen but the others feel unmemorable. Episode 5, which focused on Geralt and Yen in the ballroom, was possibly the best episode of the season. But the last three episodes were forgettable enough to bring down my overall enjoyment. I shudder at how Liam Hemsworth will be next season or just how the next season will be. Period.

70. Bupkis- 2.5/5.

Bupkis is a comedy on Peacock, starring Pete Davidson as himself in a slightly more extreme version of his life. It also stars Edie Falco, notable for playing Carmella in The Sopranos and Jackie in Nurse Jackie, as his mother, and Joe Pesci, of Goodfellas and Home Alone fame, as his grandfather. The star power is grand but the jokes are light. There are some engaging stories told from episode to episode, but as a comedy, it could strive to be better. Reel back on your celebrity guests and write stronger jokes for the second season please, Pete.

69. Bel-Air- (Season 2) 3/5

Also on Peacock, the dramatized version of the classic, beloved sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In comparison to season 1, I think it's a bit of a step-down. The actors chosen to portray the iconic characters and add a new spin on them are finely picked and perform solid performances. But the storylines for each character are...eh. Like, Carlton struggles with an addiction to coke for the season and it doesn't feel the most engaging. The character dynamics are enough to elevate it slightly, but it's still just an okay season.

68. Kaleidoscope- 3/5

Kaleidoscope is a Netflix show that spans over 24 years, where a crew of bandits try to steal billions. Part of the appeal of the show is that you can watch the show in any order you want. It's a neat gimmick to tell a linear story, but the story being told could be better. Giancarlo Esposito, known as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, does well in a role that separates him from the villainous roles he's taken over the past decade. Every other actor and character could stand to be better. I'd like to see another show try this gimmick again, but...in a more intriguing manner.

67. Secret Invasion- 3/5

Personally, I don't find the show to be as horrendous as others attest, but it is easily the weakest MCU show to grace the small screen. Wondering which character may or may not be human or a Skrull was fun, the fight scenes are okay, and Samuel L Jackson is always a delight as Nick Fury. But the political drama they strived for here is uninspired. And the show downright looks ugly at times in comparison to far prettier shows like WandaVision or Loki. Rest in Peace to Maria Hill and Talos for having to die in such a mid show.

66. Bookie- 3/5

Bookie is an HBO Max original starring stand up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco as a veteran sports bookie trying to live his life and keep track of the various clients he has that make sports bets in Los Angeles. The premise itself holds some promise, and the characters are mostly likable. Its comedy is similar to Maniscalco's stand-up but still feels light on the laughter. Maniscalco and Omar Dorsey's characters carry the show enough to cross a threshold into becoming okay. It reminds me a little of Bupkis, but better.

65. Willow- 3/5

Willow is a continuation of the movie of the same name released back in 1988. The actor who played the titular Willow over 30+ years ago reprised his role once more as a powerful sorcerer who encounters a young group of heroes who embark on a dangerous quest. While the movie reminded me of The Neverending Story with its tone, the show does the same, more or less. The action scenes and cast were perfectly okay, sorta carrying itself on a cheesy, endearing vibe that you either rock with or don't. What's most egregious is how the show was wiped away Disney+ canceled and wiped from their platform, making it impossible to view via legal means.

64. Camp Lazlo- 3/5

Camp Lazlo was a show that used to air on Cartoon Network from 2005 to 2008. I used to watch it as a child then and rewatched it in its entirety for the first time in years. The series follows anthropomorphic spider monkey Lazlo and his bunkmates albino rhino Clam and elephant Raj as they look for fun times at Camp Kidney. It's a goofy, fine TV show that I think kids nowadays would get a kick out of, but there are better shows from that time to indulge in. The characters teeter from being likable to annoying from episode to episode, the character design is fine, and the comedy is lowbrow. It's not offensive in any way, but I'm a little disappointed since I liked this show a lot more as a kid than now. For me, it doesn't hold up too much.

63. The Last Kingdom (Seasons 3-5) 3/5

For 5 seasons, The Last Kingdom followed Uhtred of Bamburgh in the Medieval Age fighting mighty European armies and leading armies himself as a powerful warrior who's grown into his own. The first two seasons, viewed in the tail-end of 2022, were possibly the best seasons. Alexander Dreymon's performance as Uhtred was fine throughout, but not as gripping as I would hope. The same principle applies to every character introduced in the past three seasons after season two. A fine story is told throughout, but the best aspect has to be the action scenes. As disinterest took over towards the final season, I take solace that the movie that followed, Seven Kings Must Die, was really good and a great sendoff to Uhtred.

62. Dave (Season 3)- 3/5

Maybe Dave is the slightly better version of Bupkis than Bookie was. Dave stars David Burd, also known as Lil Dicky, as an extreme version of himself looking to boost his rap career. The latest season was a slight step down from season 2. It's always relied on gross-out humor, but it was too much this season. This season was a huge mixed bag with some good episodes and some that were average. Certain characters could use more fleshing out, like his friends, Elz, or Mike. More of that instead of flexing the cameos like Drake or Rick Ross would bring the show up a bit more. Though, to be fair, Brad Pitt in his episode was pretty entertaining.

61. Ahsoka- 3/5

Former Jedi knight Ahsoka Tano seeks to prevent the return of the Empire as she investigates and traverses the galaxy. I wanted to like this more than I did. I loved Ahsoka in the Clone Wars show and enjoyed Rosario's performance in the handful of episodes she appeared in Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett. And while Rosario is decent as Ahsoka here, the rest of the cast fails to thrill me. Ahsoka seems like the kind of show that someone would enjoy if you watched the animated show Star Wars: Rebels because it would help make you care more about the characters. Unfortunately, I did not do that so it doesn't help. All I will really remember from this show is the appearances of Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker.

60. Black Mirror (Season 6)- 3/5

The anthology show pushed out 5 episodes this season, and about 3 of them were good. Loch Henry was an uninteresting episode until the final ten minutes, and Mazey Day was the worst episode of the bunch easily. However, the performances and premises of the other three episodes were enough to bring the show as high as it did for me. If you're looking for a random standalone episode that's either entertainingly perplexing, pleasantly thought-provoking, or thrillingly cataclysmic, check out the episodes Joan is Awful, Demon 79, and Beyond the Sea.

59. Doom Patrol (Season 4)- 3/5

Originally a DC Universe Original before becoming an HBO Max original, Doom Patrol was a spinoff of the Titans show about an unlikely group of superheroes with depressing backstories saving the world. This final season really cemented itself that this particular brand of bizarreness, while engaging, was not necessarily for me. The first season was always my favorite, with Alan Tudyk as Mr. Nobody being an excellent foil to the group, but the proceeding seasons never met the same level of love for me as the first. The characters are likable, their arcs are well written, and there's a beautiful sendoff to the cast, but it has a unique sense of weirdness that, while I do admire it, doesn't resonate with me as much as it might for others.

58. AEW All Acess- 3.5/5

The second biggest professional wrestling promotion in America, AEW, showcased a reality show that gave viewers a glimpse into the backstage antics and lives of wrestlers. I'm not big on reality shows, but I love AEW and the wrestlers who work for the company as well. It was an intriguing peak behind the curtain but to an extent for a reality show such as this. Certain elements of drama feel corny as it's somewhat scripted for a "reality" show, there's only so much you can show. And with AEW battling real dramatic bits, like CM Punk fighting people backstage, it feels underwhelming what they show instead. Though, it's understandable they can't show or talk about those instances due to legal issues. Regardless, AEW All Access if a fine product for AEW and reality tv show fans, if there's a correlation.

57. Righteous Gemstones (Season 3)- 3.5/5

The HBO Max show follows the Gemstone family, a bunch of Christian televangelists running their church in the wake of the patriarch Eli's wife's death. The third and latest season is as consistent as the first two seasons. The performances and chemistry of the children, Judy, Kelvin, and Jesse, are a joy to watch. The entire cast is fun with their obscene humor leading to chuckle-inducing jokes. The Gemstones have heart that makes them so endearing.

56. Dexter (Seasons 5-7)

In a long-lasting endeavor to enjoy the original seasons before finally getting around to New Blood, the misadventures of blood-splatter analyst Dexter Morgan bled into 2023. The best seasons, 1-4, were watched in 2022, and this year, 5-7 were enjoyed. The fifth season was a step down from the first four, but the introduction of the character Lumen and Dexter's handling of his grief after losing someone dear to him made for still compelling television. The seventh season was on par with the fifth thanks to a compelling character in Isaak and Maria Laguerta's role. The sixth season is what brings the show down, as the antagonists are underwhelming against the many that came before.

55. Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide 3.5/5

Ned's Declassified was another kid's show I watched growing up that aired three seasons from 2004 to 2007. The show followed middle schooler Ned Bigby and his best friends Moze and Cookie as they tried navigating through middle school, looking to survive. I'm unsure what most kids are like these days, but I'd like to think that this would be something that kids approaching middle school would enjoy. The show became more interesting as seasons went on, the romance aspects were somewhat intriguing, and the wacky supporting characters were mostly likable. The tips and lessons could still apply to kids looking for a guide today. Kids might get a kick out of this today, but should probably stay away from the weird podcast about the show. They really don't need to hear stories about Moze's actor blowing all the other guys on set or whatever.

54. Star Wars: Visions (Season 2)- 3.5/5

The animated anthology series provided a new season with new stories to tell. The animation across the board is gorgeous. Story-wise, the most engaging episodes involve a former Sith and the one where a bunch of people are stuck in a pit they built for the empire. Not every episode is as interesting as those two, but there are neat ideas explored in each episode that one might not see in a star wars show or movie anytime soon.

53. Only Murders In The Building (Seasons 1-2)- 3.5/5

As season three of the acclaimed murder mystery dramedy released this year, I found the time to check out the first two seasons before the year ended. Watching Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin work off one another and try to figure out back to back murders is highly entertaining as their chemistry is off the charts. The special guest stars like Tina Fey or Nathan Lane have helped bring the show as high as it is and it should be commended.

52. Narcos (Seasons 1-2)- 3.5/5

The first two seasons that detail the rise and fall of notorious crime lord Pablo Escobar are as good as they are due in part to the powerful performance by Wagner Moura as the drug kingpin. There were some solid performances throughout the show, but no one gripped me as much as him. (Bit of a spoiler coming here...) When Pablo died at the end of season two, there was little incentive to watch season 3 for me. Others may find this more enjoyable than me, but I recognize that this is a solid, well-made show.

51. Ted Lasso (Seasons 1-3)- 3.5/5

Ted Lasso was a great show for the first two seasons before the quality of season 3 brought it down. Some character arcs with characters like Keely didn't satisfy me. The show's decision to make the episodes an hour long brought the quality down immensely. If season three didn't make such boneheaded choices in its last season, the feel-good comedy would rank higher for me.

50. South Park (Season 26)- 3.5/5

the raunchy, foul-mouthed sitcom still can push out gems, but I miss the old seasons when they were much longer. The latest season pushed out 6 episodes, and while none were bad, if there were at least a few more episodes, the latest season would've been almost great. Two standout episodes for me involve the conspiracy around Japanese toilets, and the episode written by AI like Chat GPT. Nothing as hilarious as previous iconic episodes, but the topics and creativity was sublime still.

49. Disenchantment (Season 5)- 3.5/5

Created by Matt Groening, the same genius mind behind the Simpsons and Futurama, Disenchantment is an animated fantasy series that takes place in a medieval land, following the main characters of Princess Tiabeanie, her elf companion Elfo, and demon buddy Luci. The fifth season was its last, bidding farewell to the zany cast and its colorful multitude of a supporting cast. An underrated show that deserves viewing.

48. Scrubs (Seasons 5-8)- 3.5/5

The classic sitcom about medical students turned doctors peaked with its first 5 seasons. The stories, premises, and character development would not reach the same heights in seasons 6 to 8. Some jokes are funny but don't land as hard for me as they did upon my first viewing as a preteen. Rest in Peace to Sam Lloyd, who played possibly the funniest character on the show and my favorite, Ted. He encapsulated a depressing lawyer swimmingly.

47. Bobobo-bobo-bobo- 3.5/5

Bobobo-bobo-bobo was like a fever dream that I never stopped thinking about as a kid. The bizarre anime about the man Bobobo-bobo-bobo fighting enemies with his nose hairs used to air on Cartoon Network during its Toonami block back in the 2000s. After obtaining a blu-ray disc some time ago, I finally got to watching. It's rapid pace with jokes, insane characters, and wild visual gags wormed it's way into my heart. If I were to let bias get in the way, this would be in my top ten. But not every joke in this comedy lands. I still love this show to pieces tho and wish they'd bring it back.

46. Twisted Metal- 3.5/5

This adaptation of the racing game was the most fun show Peacock produced this year that I watched. The cast is enjoyable with Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz anchoring the show for its duration, but it's AEW wrestler Samoa Joe as Sweet Tooth, while Will Arnett provides the voice of the same character, that capture a special magic. The action scenes could stand to be more thrilling, but the stories and character interactions help elevate the show to be a blast.

45. Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (Seasons 2-3)- 3.5/5

This Netflix series about the dragon warrior Po was well-made. Jack Black reprising his role as the titular panda was incredibly welcome as he's the best part of the show. Joining Po are an interesting cast of characters that accompany him on a grand journey. Everything from the action scenes and set pieces to somber character moments were perfectly solid. Another fine show for kids or fans of the Kung Fu Panda series to hold you down while waiting for Kung Fu Panda 4.

44. The Mandalorian (Season 3)- 3.5/5

The latest escapades of Din Djarin and Grogu this season were entertaining, but not as much as previous endeavors in seasons 1 or 2 clearly. The decision to have Din and Grogu separate in the season 2 finale and reunite in another show was a poor choice, robbing this show of a gripping emotional return way too soon. But, the action scenes were still decent, the cameos of the likes of Jack Black and Lizzo were cute and harmless, and Bo Katan's arc helped to make the season at least somewhat compelling.

43. I Am Groot (Season 2)- 3.5/5

Baby Groot is adorable. Five short episodes show baby Groot getting into little shenanigans. My personal favorite involves the one where The Watcher gets stressed watching Groot dick around and get into danger. If you're looking for something really cute and wholesome, I Am Groot would make for a fine 20 minute burst.

42. Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Seasons 8-10)- 3.5/5

It doesn't matter how much time passes or how old improv legends Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles or Wayne Brady get, they have not missed any beats. The CW version of the show is not as good as the original, due to its over reliance on repeated games or unfunny special guests, but the performers themselves are comedic geniuses that I love wholeheartedly. The latest seasons on HBO Max have had them trying different games and breaking from tradition and its for the best. One of my favorite comfort viewings.

41. Wrestlers- 3.5/5

Wrestlers is a documentary that follows former WWE wrestler Al Snow trying to keep his wrestling promotion Ohio Valley Wrestling alive. The series focuses on Al, the various wrestlers and workers that he employ as he books his shows week to week, and outside forces looking to work with OVW. Getting to know the wrestlers behind their over-the-top personal and see the struggles of a wrestling promotion nowhere near as big as WWE or AEW was fascinating.

40. Vikings: Valhalla (Season 2)- 3.5/5

Based in the Viking age, the main characters of Leif Erikson, Freydis and Harald remain the most compelling characters in their show. I wish I could say as much for other aspects. The season was a step-down from season 1, but the emotional story beats and cinematography are decent enough aspects to rate it as high as it is for me.

39. Demon Slayer (Season 3)- 3.5/5

The latest season of the hit anime Demon Slayer was fun, but like many other shows on this list, the season to come beforehand...I simply enjoyed more. Mitsuri was an intriguing Hashira to know, and Villains this season were solid. But the lack of presence of other characters like Inosuke are felt and the emotional beats don't work as well as the previous season. But the season finale was stellar enough to bring the season up quite a bit at least.

38. Insecure (Seasons 4-5)- 3.5/5

Insecure remained consistently good throughout its 5 season run. Issa Rae was a great lead for the show as she and her character were extremely likable. The humorous series had a fine cast, but her friend Kelli had to be my favorite as she was seemingly the funniest of the bunch.

37. Food Wars (Season 5)- 3.5/5

The final season to this over-the-top nontraditional battle Shonen anime was a serviceable sendoff to the endearing cast of zany teens. The cooking show anime aired on Toonami this year and as it wrapped up, I felt sad to see it go as I've enjoyed the wackiness many characters provided. But the last episode was a decent sendoff as well. Though not as good as seasons beforehand, Food Wars fifth season is still a treat.

36. Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Season 2)- 3.5/5

The sophomore season of this animated star wars show was as entertaining as its first. Shoutout to Dee Bradley Baker for voicing five different clones and bringing nuance to each character. A ragtag group of clone troopers on their adventures was exciting at times and the season finale was perhaps the best episode of the batch.

35. Total Drama- 3.5/5

Another show from my childhood thats sometimes a gem and sometimes infuriating. Its first three seasons harbored a good sense of humor and a truly sublime cast of animated characters. It was peak. Unfortunately, the following seasons failed to live up to the standards in character work and pacing, among many other issues. However, the season titled The Ridonculous Race, was great enough to bring the show back up. I haven't seen the latest season yet, but the best seasons of this show are worth checking out.

34. Harley Quinn (Season 4)- 4/5

A great season for the books even if it didn't live up the spectacle of its third season. The animation remains solid and the first half of the show was strong. With Bane still hilarious and Harley and Poison Ivy's respective character arcs that focus on their individuality being as entertaining as they were, there's still a lot to like from this season. Even if it lacks in other departments, like, not enough Clayface.

33. Big Nate (Season 2)- 4/5

Huge bias here, but I used to read the Big Nate Books as a kid and I have a huge soft spot for them which applies to this show. The animation is solid, there's a good sense of humor, and the core cast of kids are incredibly likable. If you're looking for 6th grade kid shenanigans that's bound to.make you chuckle, pleas support the show on Paramount Plus so it gets dozens of seasons.

32. My Hero Academia (Season 6)- 4/5

The latest season of teenage superheroes in training focused on two arcs for 20+ episodes. The first arc saw an all out war between numerous heroes and Villains while the second arc saw our main character, Deku, enter an Era of self-doubt and edginess after the events of the first arc. The second arc would've been better if it had more time dedicated to it, but the turns, twists, action scenes, and revelations of the first arc are enough to elevate this season to greatness.

31. Gen V- 4/5

This spinoff of The Boys was a slightly better series that focused on school kids with superpowers than My Hero. It's still got The Boys charm with its signature violence and gore with characters intriguing enough to keep you hooked. Gen V is a great addition to The Boys universe that warrants attention.

30. Avenue 5 (Season 2)- 4/5

An underrated sitcom following a space captain, his employees and crew, and hundreds of passengers on a space cruise trying to.make their way back home. The cast was stellar, the jokes were hilarious, the premise was engaging, and yet it STILL got canceled and I'll forever be mad about that.

29. Blackish (Seasons 1-3)- 4/5

The family sitcom about the Johnson family has picked up for me lately on my first viewing. The first episode and some to follow in season 1 were a bit rocky as the show was finding its footing. But with Seasons 2 and 3 so far, it's proven to be especially funny with a talented cast and thoughtful messaging.

28. Codename: Kids Next Door (Seasons 1-3)- 4/5

Yet another show from my childhood I've been in the midst of rewatching! The Kids Next Door follows children acting as secret agents that fight against teenagers and adults of all sorts. This classic cartoon would fit so well with an audience today, I'd like to think. With an endearing core cast and a truly fun rogues gallery they face off with in episode to episode, I've started realizing how much influence something like this had on me growing up, I love this show.

27. Six Feet Under (Season 1)- 4/5

One of HBO's classic shows has recently come under my radar for the first time, and while it's a bit slow at times to my liking, it's proving to be a unique watch. It's takes on the passings of every day people coupled with a talented cast and stunning cinematography are leaving me to wonder how this show will fare upon progressing into the next few seasons.

26. Wu Tang: An American Saga (Season 3)

For three seasons, Wu Tang followed the rise of Hip Hops most decorated rap group. It's final season was a superb and contemplative sendoff to some of the greatest MCs to grab a mic. Some episodes and storybits were a bit rushed or dramatized needlessly, but the allegorical episodes were incredibly creative sometimes balances out. An underrated gem of a show, in my opinion.

25. One Piece (Live Action)- 4/5

One of the most faithful adaptations of the source material I've seen and I couldn't be happier. The outrageous characters from the anime and Manga look as wild as they do in live action, the set pieces are mesmerizing, and the performances of the Strawhat crew are special. I'm eagerly awaiting season 2 to see how they adapt what comes next.

24. Archer (Season 14)- 4/5

Despite the addition of a new character to the long running sitcoms final season, they didn't stray focus from its core cast of operatives we've gotten to know and love since 2009. Despite wavering in seasons prior, the writing here was on point, the performances did not miss a beat, and the final season was a wonderful send-off to these ragtag of oddballs.

23. Eric Andre Show (Season 6)- 4/5

Hannibal Burress' lack of presence is felt, but the chaotic nature of the show never left and I love that for it. Whether insane bits on the street or at the studio, Eric Andre has still found ways to psychologically confuse and torture strangers and celebrities alike in a manner that still makes my stomach hurt from laughter and absurdities.

22. My Adventures With Superman- 4/5

This take on the beginnings of Clark Kent's journey as Superman was a fun time. Its animation is pleasing to the eye, Clark and Lois Lane's relationship is incredibly endearing and wholesome at times, and the villains introduced are decent foils to Superman.

21. Futurama (season 11)- 4/5

After being canceled and brought back for the umpteenth time, seeing the Futurama cast return again after about a decade (not including that one Simpsons crossover episode from a few years ago) was so welcome. The show tackled more modern topics like Bitcoin and the COVID pandemic to varying degrees of success. Bringing back the entire original cast and still being able to provide solid entertainment is comforting.

20. Superstore- 4/5

Indulging in the entirety of Superstore, the sitcom about employees working in a giant Walmart-esque retail building, for the first time was intriguing. The first season felt too reminiscent of The Office in characters, but as the seasons progressed it slowly started to morph into its own thing. As characters found their own personalities, the show increasingly became more and more hilarious, even with its final season filmed during peak pandemic lockdown.

19. Loki (Season 2)- 4/5

An improvement upon the first season by a margin. Adding Key Huy Quan and Rafael Casal to the cast this season was an excellent choice. The rest of the cast was equally superb, but it's Tom Hiddleston as Loki completing his transformation from a god of mischief to a selfless god was perfect. The finale to the season was bittersweet but also perhaps the best episode of a Disney MCU show so far.

18. Atlanta (Season 4)- 4/5

Donald Glover's experimental series starring himself, Zazie Beets, Brian Tyree Henry, and LaKeith Stanfield, provided possibly the best season of the show. I feel there could've been an opportunity to bring back people from the previous seasons at some point this season, but the episodes this season were pretty remarkable. The final episode leaves one to wonder about the status of our characters but not in a doom-and-gloom manner which I can rock with.

17. Baki Hanma (Season 2)- 4/5

Not since Jojo's Bizarre Adventure have I seen an action anime so ridiculous thrill me almost entirely from start to end. Baki Hanma is a well-crafted, better-written show than its previous series simply titled 'Baki.' Two arcs focus on a prehistoric caveman thawing out of the ice and the world's greatest fighters try to defeat it. While the second arc has our main character try and combat his ultra-powerful dad in a fight that's been built up for years. Both arcs were over-the-top peak that warrant viewing if you live for that nature.

16. Blindspotting (Season 2)- 4/5

The sequel series to the film of the same name is just as great as the film itself. Jasmine Cephas Jones as Ashley, who initially harbored a small role in the film, is good as the lead for the show. Her various family members and friends either helped her or overwhelmed her in ways that made for intriguing television. Combined with fun usage of cameos from rappers and riveting musical sequences, you have another show that gets canceled way to soon and pisses me OFF.

15. Rick and Morty (Season 7)- 4/5

Upon giving co-creator and creep Justin Roiland the boot, the team behind Rick and Morty managed to deliver a quality season up there with some of their best. The new voices for Rick and Morty that replaced Roiland have nestled nicely into the role, and after delivering one of the greatest episodes in the series in 'Unmortricken' any anxieties about the quality of Rick and Morty have been quelled for the future of the show.

14. Jujitsu Kaisen (Season 2)- 4/5

The first few episodes focused on the backstory of a few crucial characters years ago, and while they were sufficient, the meat of the season lies within the Shibuya Incident. As good and evil fight across the city of Shibuya and the bodies pile sky high, JJK has crafted an unforgettable second season with stakes high and memorable moments galore.

13. One Piece (Wano Arc)- 4/5

As the One Piece anime wraps up its longest story arc to date, looking back it's clear to see that the legendary scenes will pang throughout the echoes of time. Despite shit pacing, as One Piece is known to have, it gave us moments of Luffy attaining the Gear 5 form, his jaw-dropping fight with Kaido, and entertaining fights between the Strawhats and the rest of Kaido's crew. Thank god it's over though, and we can finally prepare for the next island Luffy and the Strawhats head toward.

12. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off- 4/5

I think I like this more than the movie, even though it's been years since I last saw the film. But Scott Pilgrim Takes Off took Scott's friends, Ramona's exes, and plenty of other characters with varying degrees of screen time in the movie, amplified it in the show, and made everyone INCREDIBLY likable. With awesome fight scenes and delightful characters, the show has become a must-see for animation fans.

11. The Bear (Seasons 1-2)- 4/5

Who knew how anxiety-inducing a show about a young chef running a restaurant with a hectic kitchen staff could be. The groundwork laid in season 1 elevated season 2 to excellency. The cast is fascinating, and the episodes that involve characters running around frantically, desperately trying to tie shit together have lead to the best episodes on television this year. If you watch one episode from this show, please watch the episode titled 'Fishes.'

10. Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake- 4/5

The spinoff and continuation from yet another Cartoon Network classic is at least on par with the original Adventure Time. Taking the fictional characters of Fionna and Cake and expounding upon them to make them their own fleshed-out characters is amazing. The blossoming relationship of Gary and Marshall was sweet and Simon's existential crisis was heart-wrenching. Eagerly awaiting it's next season.

9. Orange Is The New Black (Seasons 1-3)- 4/5

As I'm currently on my first viewing of this show, as of this writing, I can see how this show about women in prison put Netflix on the map for their original programming. Our leads slow descent into morally questionable behavior is as compelling as every surrounding story with her fellow inmates. The final minutes of the season three finale were powerful imagery for the inmates. And as the depressing dramedy continues forward, I cannot wait to see how the rest of the show shapes.

8. Succession (Seasons 1-4)- 4/5

After binging all four seasons this year, Succession is the closest show I've seen to poetry in motion. The inner dynamics of these deeply disturbed members of the Roy family as they backstab, connive, and try to destroy one another just to reach a comfortable seat of power made for devastating television. I only wish there was one more season to spend more time with the cast.

7. Dragon Ball Z- 4/5

This is the last show on this list that was something I watched as a kid, I promise. The iconic Shonen action show is my favorite anime of all time, but I tried not to let some of personal bias cloud some of my judgment. It's the grandfather of all action anime for a reason, and what prevents it from being my number one is that I believe some of the following shows are just a liiiiiiittle bit more tightly written.

6. The Last Of Us- 4.5/5

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey managed to put on performances as stellar as the voice actors in the game, it's wild. I thought the adaptation was amazing, with sublime performances across the board, a decent pace, and an exploration of character depth unseen in the game with characters like Bill and Frank. It might've been a little light on zombies this season which I hope they rectify in the future.

5. Castlevania Nocturne- 4.5/5

As someone who adored the previous Castlevania anime series, this season had some big shoes to fill. For the first season, they knocked it out of the park. The animation is more gorgeous than ever, the new characters introduced in this spinoff are intriguing, and they laid superb groundwork for the following season.

4. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (Season 16)- 4.5/5

Clearly, the best season that this gang of scumbags has put out in years. The entire season saw the gang at their dumbest which lead to hilarious setups and instant classics in its legacy. While all 5 characters were at their best this season, I want to highlight Danny Devito in Frank Vs Russia and Glenn Howerton in The Gang Goes Bowling and Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day as some of the best comedic chops they've almost ever had. I died laughing so much this season.

3. Primal (Seasons 1-2)- 4.5/5

The story about a caveman and a dinosaur going on adventures and was surprisingly...peak. The storytelling despite minimal to no words being spoken is immaculate, and when the first words were dropped I almost lost my shit. The first season was great, but the second season helped elevate the entirety of the show. It's cliff hangers are jaw-dropping, the arcs in season 2 were grand in scale, and the Primal Theory was perhaps the best episode of the whole show. I wish I watched this sooner.

2. What We Do In The Shadows (Season 5)- 4.5/5

The only show to make me laugh just as much, possibly just a little bit more, than It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is the show about Vampires in Staten Island of course. Guillermo's season long arc of vampirism came to a satisfying conclusion and the rest of the cast were on point, especially my personal favorite character: Lazlo. The cast were on point, and the comedic chops were strong, I just hope it's final season is at least as strong as this season was.

Barry (Season 4)- 5/5.

The 4th season of Barry was excellent. Barry the character and Barry the show has been immortalized with the events that transpire over this 8-episode season. The fate of the characters followed over the past few seasons has been befitting and heartbreaking but understandable in some circumstances. The way the show transitioned into something darker over the past two seasons as this hitman who tried to become an actor influenced the people around him and brought them down into the deepest trenches with him. There is no doubt in my mind that Barry was my personal favorite show viewed in 2023. Thank you for reading my list if you did.

#review #tv show review #tv review #titans #the witcher #ahsoka #black mirror #doom patrol #aew #star wars #bobobo bo bo bobo #the mandalorian #demon slayer #my hero academia #one piece #eric andre #loki series #rick and morty #scott pilgram takes off #the bear hulu #adventure time #succession hbo #last of us #barry #what we do in the shadows #year in tv #year in review

[silversodas]

Leo and Casey’s Foil Dynamic and Why It’s So Interesting

It actually took me a little bit to realize that Casey is Leo’s foil and vise versa. Casey is everything Leo isn’t. He is vary honest, I was actually taken aback at how he never hides what he is feeling and will express vulnerability like it’s nothing. He also knows that he doesn’t know everything and that its perfectly ok. But their dynamic is actually a trope, for lack of an official name I will call it “The One Who Serves Truth and The One Who Serves Lies”. I will be using two examples of this dynamic

Harlan and Marta from Knifes Out

Loki and Mobius from the Loki Series

If you haven’t watched either of these don’t worry I will get into that, let me explain how the dynamic is supposed to work.

The one who serves lies can be an evil character, but most of the time is someone morally gray, someone who is vary smart and is 100% aware of it. But a big key attribute to the Lier is how well they can manipulate those around them. This skill causes the Lier to see all social interaction as a strategic game that they need to win.

The one who serves truth is not only a lawful good character, but a seemingly simple one. They are honest and kindhearted people. Causing others to underestimate them, they can be clever and capable, or too innocent for this world but their true power is the power of the truth, and the honesty of their character.

Harlan and Marta. Honestly Leo is a lot more like Harlan then Loki, but they share a similar rude awakening. Harlan is a famous murder mystery writer, is 100% aware of how smart he is, how well he knows people and how well he can predict them. It’s not until he meets Marta (his day nurse) and gets to know her that he realizes that he had been teaching his own children and grandchildren this mindset to treat everything like chess and how badly it’s hurt them and their worldview

It’s while playing his last game of Go with Marta that he offhandedly lamented what he should have done differently as a father (all things that Marta advised). I have no idea how to play Go but it’s during this scene they quoted the overall tone of the movie and how Harlan sees Marta.

“Why can’t I ever beat you at Go?”- Harlan

“Because I am not trying to win, I am trying to make a beautiful pattern”-Marta

The one who serves truth, changes the one who serves lies point of view, outlook on life and themselves

Loki and Mobius. If you haven’t seen the Loki series I recommend it because this is the best written Loki. This Loki is actually taken from the point in time right before going to prison on Asgard at the end of the first Avengers movie. He is captured by an organization who’s purpose is to keep to the sacred time line. Him escaping the Avengers caused an alternate time line to branch off, and was about to be punished, until one of the chief members of the organization, Mobius, takes up for him

Mobius is much more strategic in how much of the truth is told at once but isn’t any less honest, he is vary upfront but also kind. All the while giving off the vibe of an office worker. The organization has access to every person’s entire life including Loki’s. Mobius conducts their first conversation in an integration room reviewing Loki’s life via film reel. Mobius actually starts off in Loki’s earlier life pranking earth (turns out he was D.B.Cooper) Mobius as it turns out is a big fan of Loki’s mischievousness and sees him as vary clever.

It’s not with every pair, but sometimes the truth server sees whats special about the lier past their ability to shit talk. Mobius sees what’s grate about Loki just as Casey sees what’s grate about Leo

But then he gets to the attack on New York and does something no else has done something Loki didn’t plan for. He directly asks Loki that if he enjoyed doing this that if this is who he was, he isn’t making any assumptions or coming to his own conclusions like everyone else, no, Mobius wants an answer directly from him he asks

“Do you enjoy hurting people?”

He shows Loki all the consequences to his actions, including his mother’s death. Loki try’s to get away but concedes defeat and goes back to the integration room waiting for Mobius to find him there while he watches the rest of the reel of his life. He comes to a conclusion after watching his reconciliation with his brother and his own death. Loki has treated everything like a strategy game he has to win but coming face to face with the cold hard truth, when Mobius finds him Loki answers his question

It’s the same with Leo and Casey, someone pointed out that Leo is so good at predicting people that he most likely got Raphael angry on purpose because he knew that it would cause a fight that splinter would have to brake up and he can put off facing Raph’s concerns. I 100% agree

A lot of people thought Casey was being way to harsh with Leo, but do you remember when Raph tried to voice his concerns and level with Leo in a nicer way? And remember what Leo’s response was?

(Images you can hear)

That wasn’t getting through to Leo, he is doing it much less consciously then Harlan or Loki, but he still acted like he needed to win like if he was vulnerable he losses

Yeah he uses humor to deflect things, but nothing that serious. Honestly I think that he thought that admitting that he saw what Raph was saying was proving Raph right that he couldn’t do this. But I don’t think he is acting on more then what he is feeling in that moment, because he doesn’t even want the job, and its causing his strained relationship with splinter to turn into full on resentment, but damn it if he doesn’t have something to prove

When Casey arrived on the scene, we all got the impression that he is Leo’s Boy Scout the way he sings his praises, and I think Leo thought this about Casey too. And him being Leo’s student in the future made Leo associate Casey in a familial sense, as someone who loves him, and thought that Casey would treat him and his aversion tactics somewhat the same as everyone else who loves him, and was dead fucking wrong

“I am the greatest ninja in the world, you said so”

“I WAS WRONG!”

He is equal parts hurt and shocked, he was not expecting that, nor was he expecting him to go into a full blown lecture. Casey’s strong familial love for Leo didn’t cloud his conviction

He doesn’t have anything cute to say when Casey starts laying into him for everything, just turns away pouting. But really let’s what Casey says sink in when he learns that his family dies in the bad future. Casey got past Leo’s defense with the ugly truth, and just like for the two previous liars the truth hurt so bad

But it also set them free of the weaknesses they were holding onto and was the start of something new

“I don’t want to fight anymore, I just want you to know I get it”

#rottmnt #rottmnt movie #rottmnt casey jones #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt leo #rottmnt movie spoilers #knifes out #as reference #loki series #also as reference

[irondad-tonystark]

Marvel Fic Rec (General)

Baby Driver by prufrock

Summary: Cars seem to show up at key moments in Tony Stark's life. So does Rhodey Rhodes. (Tony/Rhodey)

This fic is absolutely beautiful and heart wrenching in one. It deals with addiction, grief and mourning, some very bad decisions—but Rhodey is there (off and on and off and on again) through it all.

A New-York Cop by dimircharmer

Summary (shortened): Newly minted detective Brett Mahoney is noticing some fairly disquieting things about Matt Murdock. Namely, he's legally bound to one of his old friends, heavily in debt, and sporting different poorly-concealed injuries every other time Brett sees him. (Matt/Foggy implied, outsider’s POV).

Another fic with beautiful writing and characterization. I only wish the end scene were longer. Love the dynamics of friendship, concern, and as cheesy as it sounds, doing the right thing (even when it [might] go against decades of friendship.)

What's in a Name by OliOcelot

Summary: 5 times Michelle Jones met Peter Parker at MIT (and 1 time she met Spider-Man)

I’m not usually a huge fan of coffee shop AU’s bc they tend to take the characters and leave the plots/worldbuilding—but Peter is still Spider-Man and he still has citizens to save. A great read!

That Which Is Called Ego Death by WinterSky101

Summary: There was a time when a Titan snapped the neck of a god, but it wasn’t the end of the story, it was the beginning.

I’m kind of a sucker for any good guy Loki stories. I’m also a sucker for any Genderfluid Loki. I’m a sucker for this fic.

Blips on the Record by ambivalentangst

Summary: Flash, let it be known, doesn’t like Peter. He’s too good at everything—infuriatingly so—and nobody ever calls him on his bullshit, like with AcaDec nationals. Flash has to put his all into everything he does for a fraction of the attention Peter gets for his bare minimum, and it pisses him off, to say the least, so sue him for looking for chances here and there to knock him down a peg. However, when he notices, he shuts his entire operation down. Maybe Peter has a decade on his age when he was in the thick of it, but Flash remembers what it was like. He gets having school be a safe place, and nobody, not even himself, is going to jeopardize that for Peter.

I already mentioned this fic in a different rec post, but this time I included the longer summary. Flash Thompson redemption (my fav!) and great characterization/character study. Plus a tiny bit of irondad from an outsider’s perspective.

Bunch of Jackasses, Standing in a Circle by FoundlingMother

Summary: Loki doesn't die on Svartalfheim. A pity. He deserves death, and his cell no longer offers safety. Asgard clearly does not possess the strength to ward against Thanos.

See description for previous Loki fic above—it’s all of that, PLUS Loki joining the Guardians of the Galaxy. (Note: this fic is locked unless you have an account.)

Uncharted Territory by ChloeNyme

Summary: Peter had a secret. No, not that one. A different one. One that felt…worse. Or, MJ tries to navigate a relationship with Peter Parker.

Trigger warnings: Mentions of childhood sexual assault (not explicit); explicit consensual sexual content between teenagers.

I was hesitant to add this fic, if I’m being honest. It’s a tough read, but in the end it feels absolutely worth it. I don’t usually like to read explicit sexual content, and much less that of teenage characters, but somehow this fic manages to feel more like learning and adapting than it does dirty (which is to say, I did not feel slimy reading it). That being said, I have not read the next in the series. Read with caution, but if you do, enjoy.

#fic rec #marvel #mcu #tony stark #iron man #peter parker #spider man #james rhodes #rhodey #matt murdock #brett mahoney #loki

[not-close-to-straight]

so i went back and reread the entire MTW universe because i was doing writing research and then got sucked in.

and man.

MAN. i have never loved a series more than that one. it has all of my favorite elements in it, namely, found family in terms of complex poly relationships. i want more so badly, because i need more of all of the complex relationships. i was also thinking super hard about logan and clint, and that i would love to see more of them too because that's such a unique dynamic that i want to put under a microscope

like i've reread MTW like... too many times to count because i love the repetition of the themes between pete and wade. and ofc the yearning and being horny but not giving into it because reason xyz... oh man. oh MAN. and every time i hit that wild cat scene, it hurts just like the first time. (not quite the same because i remember reading it as you updated and then having to wait for the update and just... checking my phone all the time because i NEEDED to know what happened.)

and while i'm here

ahem

I AM LOSING MY MIND OVER MARRIAGE AND MATE CHASES

I DIDNT KNOW I NEEDED A BURN THIS SLOW BUT HOT DAMN IT IS EVERYTHING TO ME

loki being so jealous even though they KNEW this was an eventuality is so sweet. inviting the captain back because they love tony regardless, jealousy burning.

and holy SHIT that scene where tony comes to steve's room???? -fans self- the best jump forward in their relationship, for sure. i cannot wait for steve to wake up in the morning it's going to be SO SWEET (and maybe a little horny...?) i literally lose my shit when i get the update email, it's the best part of my day.

i hope the freak snow wasn't too bad and all the wind didn't scare the animals too bad. it's been crazy warm here for the last few days and it's SO weird, i do not like.

Oh man MTW is my Spideypool Pirate's Heart. As in, it's the Spideypool version of a story that had a very small plot to begin with and escalated to being absolutely monstrous, it had a simple relationship dynamic and then OH LOOK there's multiple romantic arcs and friendships that border on codependent family arcs, it was meant to be mostly in verse as far as the main pairing and storyline and BLEW UP to include mutants and conspiracy theories and a spin off story.

Fun fact about MTW: I actually got the original idea on day when I was chopping kindling for my wood stove? Nothing quite soothes my OCD like a log splitting into clean cut kindling with a real loud CRACK and I thought "huh I bet I could write a scene with one of my characters learning to cut kindling." and literally...MTW was born.

Clint and Logan were such an amazing couple in that fic. I got halfway into writing them and thought "damn I can't separate them" and introduced reincarnation into the verse specifically to make sure Logan always had Clint at his side. And then of course it worked out for the Vanessa storyline too. The whole thing with Cable was really intense too. I just love that character so much and the way he was so intense with Peter? Adored it.

The wild cat scene! That was hard to write and edit but I felt like it turned out SO GOOD. And the whole motif of "Can you feel me/I can't feel you" is so incredible. I love everything about their romance.

MAMC! I can't wait to get back into it. Between being so sick the last few weeks and the actually insane weather we've been having I've had power outages/no internet for the better part of the week which means I've been trying to peck at the story on my phone app and it is SLOW going. But I'm super ready to get back into it today. I have GREAT plans for this upcoming chapter!

[weirdlyfitting]

Okay so yesterday i watched love and thunder and i think it's okay (and yes definitely way better than mom)

Spoilers btw

I think it has a tone problem tho, i like the comedy stuff there should be less jokes in this one

Gorr is amazing as a villain holy shit, the time he appears when he's already corrupted i got chills down my spine! The camera works are *chef kiss

But....

With him being the villain, back to the tone problem i think that's what made this story didn't turn well. Gorr literally wanted to eradicate ALL GODS, that's probably the highest stake in every thor movie ever had.

And gotta admit, i'm thinking a lot to moon knight's story. As in i tried to search for the connections yk but i'll talk abt this later

I feel like there should be some infinity war element kind of tone in here, it's not that in the end the gang's supposed to loose tho but make it as if they're actually going to loose

When gorr almost got to the eternity i feel a bit dissapointed cause yea i knew he'll change his mind/heart or prob not succeeded

Compare this in ragnarok tho, i feel like the stakes with hela was much bigger/higher cause ragnarok pretty much showed a lot of the damages hela has done to the gang from act 1

The screaming goats ruined the scene when the gang just arrived in shadow-realm-planet(???) sorry i forgot the name lmao, anyway i love the goats in other scenes but i hate them in here only, cause seriously it didn't match the gloomy, dark, corrupted tone of the place itself

And i miss loki being in here, i get that the loki that thor knew is gone-actually-gone but i wish there's more of him talking about his bro :(

Aight moving on to stuff that i liked about the movie :

MOON KNIGHT IN THE MARVEL INTRO. I REPEAT MOON KNIGHT IN THE MARVEL INTRO AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! This is the actual reason i want to watch love and thunder lmao, i'm afraid if this is the first yet last time i'm able to see mk in the big screen of this year so yeah

i love the dynamic between the gang tho, and the shenanigans between thor and guardians aweee!!

the kids getting thor's power just pure awesomeness aaaaaaaa!!!!

Val and jane being such awesome sisters in here hehe, i love their energy 🥺

The battle in shadow-realm-planet. JUST LOOK AT THOSE CINEMATOGRAPHY HOLY SHIT!!!

Gorr. Yea only gorr because he's that cool as villain seriously, no other words can explain how i love his character so much

The "just look at the eyes of people that you loved" line aweee, peter's looking at the other guardians and my heart really melted

Mjolnir and stormbreaker lmaooooo, i feel like strombreaker should meet dr strange's cloak???? The chaos from these two omg

Okay now that's sorta everything now i wanna talk about the moon knight connections

When gorr said he'll kill all the gods OH SHIT I'M WORRIED FOR KHONSHU 😔😭

He's a bad as a god and just a pigeon w angry issue yeah but- BUT goddamn i'm actually worried????? Not to mention with jake now serving him so.....the moon bois are technically not safe either SHIT-

Okay maybe they are safe actually? Cause khonshu's the one that'll die

Anyway anyway

Does this makes the whole ammit & harrow trying to eradicate the bad ones POINTLESS in moon knight? Maybe???

Like imagine gorr arrives on earth while ammit vs khonsu stuff is happening, THEY'RE BIG AND WHAT'S HE GONNA DO HUH???? Then even if he's able to kill ammit (and khonshu) this only makes moon knight's journey more pointless and i hate it! A nobody (on mk's perspective) just popped out and finished what marc, steven and layla were trying to do what the hell- >:(

Luckily gorr haven't kill the enneads yet tho, but still this bothered me

Oh and yk we could've had jake joining the gang to kill this god butcher right? Like come onnn (ignore me i'm desperate for more mk lmao)

And- AND

If gorr ever meets harrow i think they would've had a very interesting convo. Harrow is a fanatic while Gorr is a non-beliver, just imagine how clashed these two would be holy shit!!!

Amd I think there's a line that said "eradicating" and all i could think about was harrow, he too was trying to eradicate something tho

#thor love and thunder #also #moon knight #mcu

[lucascecil]

Project: Blue Box - The Axis of Insanity

This review contains SPOILERS.

◆ Summary

When the TARDIS lands in a weird place, Peri and Erimem are curious. The Doctor is hesitant, however: they are at the Axis, a temporal center that controls and eliminate corrupted timelines, making sure the Web of Time is not contaminated. Controling all of this, the Overseer. But there is something wrong with the Axis - one of the animalies escaped.

◆ Doctor

Curiously what I like the most from Peter Davison here is not a scene of his as the Doctor, but he playing the Jester acting as the Doctor. There is a huge tension that something bad is about to happen to Erimem any second and he genuinely scares me. He as the Doctor is also very good as usual; I want to highlight how you can feel he likes to spend time with Peri and Erimem - which is what makes me like so much of them as a team.

Their meeting with the Overseer is very short, but it still has weight. It's the Fifth Doctor suddenly saying goodbye to someone he has known for a long time. Not a friend but it someone he thought to be a constant in his life, which is not very common.

The Jester brings a new perspective upon his relationship with his companion by saying he thinks of them as pets and while I don't think that's true it does shake his relationship with Erimem in a way I like - specially because it highlights how alien he is compared to his companions, even if they lived thousands of years apart like Peri and Erimem or they are aliens themselves such as Adric and Nyssa. There is also a nice moment of him confronting his own mortality at the climax but that falls with him being way too passive towards somethings, which I will talk about later.

◆ Peri

This is a very good story for Peri in various ways. She spends some time with Erimem, she spends some time with the Doctor - so their dynamic is balanced here. When the Doctor goes into the Axis at the start of the story she and Erimem stay behind and then she gets in control and is proactive to the end. Considering how many stories I've listened to with the character that may seem small - I really love most of her stories in the expanded universe - but if you keep in mind this was yet one of her first stories by Big Finish... then it's a huge step in the right direction for Peri.

"How much time we have? And if you say time is relative I am going to kill you."

◆ Erimem

The first parts opens with Erimem having difficulties to learn English and revolted by the plot of Alice in the Wonderland. I love that scene. I adore every time there more domestic scenes with any TARDIS team. I also like her dynamic with Peri a lot.

By the middle of the second part she is alone in the TARDIS and then she spend most of the remaining runtime with the Jester. It's the opposite from Peri - she's by herself a lot but that's not a problem because it's a opportunity to show how she handles being alone in a though situation. And it's very effective because Erimem is so clever - she gets quickly how to tell if it's really the Doctor in the TARDIS with her -, and it's in her scenes with the Jester that the villain scares me the most. She goes through hell and there are some scenes her that make me shiver when the Jester is violent towards her. But it's not like in Nekromanteia where script crosses the line and disrespects Erimem; it's just one cruel character and not the whole story.

◆ Outros personagens

The fool, the tricksters - the joker even. I made a bunch of jokes not funny at all that this was "what if the Joker existed in Doctor Who". The truth is that this is a superficial comparison but they do indeed have the same origin - the archetype of the trickster. That character that exists to spread chaos through the narrative and is extremely unstable. They usally are metamorphs too - see mythological Loki.

That's also true for the Jester, this genderless entity - or perhaps genderfluid. It's a story com the 2000s, that's not detailed - that is completely crazy. A "survivor" from an aborted timeline by the Axis that escaped their own reality and now has taken control of this nowhere. I find them to be an incredible villain and would like to see them once again. It's a very flexible character and there are a bunch of things you can do with them. That beind said, I think this story could've been even more crazy. I'd love if the Jester has freed other creatures from destroyed timelines and them all had taken control of the Axis and just not one individual.

The only other relevant charater is Tog, a man that Erimem and Peri meets at the Axis after his planet was attacked by the Jester. I almost leaved him out because he is functional - not a bad character but not an impressive one either. I understand why he is necessary though. It's someone else to the Doctor and Peri deal with and to talk to, specially in a part of the story everything important is only happening in Erimem's scenes. If he wasn't here they would have even less to do.

◆ Golden ideas and memorable quotes

I love the idea of the Axis, a temporal center that keep tabs at the timeline and prevent contaminated timelines to spread through time. It rises some question because of course it does. It's a high high concept. Shouldn't the Axis have intervened with the R101 problem? But that doesn't matter, really. What I thought about a lot was what was supposed to be the difference between the Axis and the place we see in Neverland. Of course differences exist, mainly tonal - the Axis is home to a bunch of nonsense while in Neverland we have a much more grounded concept that has a more intimate focus (in people erased from time). Meanwhile the Axis is more like an idea playground. I actually think The Axis of Insanity is the lost child of The Celestial Toymaker and Neverland.

There is this bit when Peri says how the Axis works seems so cruel and Five answers that it's a necessary evil that summaries one of the Fifth's Doctor sides I find the most fascinating - even though he is one of the calmer and gentler regeneration, he oftens react with apathy when confronted with situations like this. Not always it's genuine apathy - it's also an incarnation that seems to always be living in mourning -, but sometimes I am taken aback by moments like this when he sounds so unintentially cruel.

I like a lot the Erimem scenes at the second half of the story but for some minutes the Doctor and Peri have nothing to do. It's a shorter audio tho (only a hour and half) so it's not that noticeable.

There is also a beautiful scenario/"set" at the end when the TARDIS team visits a TARDIses' cemitery and there is some lore thrown around that I quite like - TARDISes and their time lords have some kind of link and when a time lord dies do does their TARDIS. I like when Doctor Who plays with the nature of the TARDIS and it reminded me of Alien Bodies. I would like to see more things like this.

◆ Sound effects

At least it's not the same track but my drama with the ringphone music continues. I like a lot the sound work around the Jester. I can't explain it but it's so clear and visual when they change their body - you can tell when it happens and it's not just the change of voice. It's cool. There is also a lot of chaotic sounds in the background all the time that fits the script.

◆ Replay factor

This is one of these stories that don't gain that much in a relisten but doesn't loose anything either. The twist at the end of part one that the Jester is the villain is quite intuitive (you can barely call it a twist, actually), their objective is clear since the moment they ask about the TARDIS. This is a nice story to listen here and there, but I would not recommend it if you have a headache.

◆ The Veredict

"The lunatics have taken over the asylum!", the line that serves as the cliffhanger of part two is the best summary The Axis of Insanity could ever ask for. It revolves around a caricate villain but that was never a ploblem - the opposite actually, it's an example of an one-note character that works really well because the acting and the dynamic with the cast compesates the simplicity. It's also a plot that gives all regulars something to do at some point and show a new side of them because of it. It's not one of my favorite stories - I did not exagerate when I said to not listen to it if you have a headache - but it's fun tale that gives you exactly what was promised.

◆ It's good, ★★★☆☆

#Fifth Doctor #Project: Blue Box

[trutrustories]

Bad fighter Mobius M. Mobius is the best kind of Mobius M. Mobius, Actually.

I already loved Mobius more than most of the MCU characters before episode 6 came out, but THAT scene in Ravonna´s Office was really game changer for me. Until then I was actually sure, that this man is a great fighter. Because HOW THE FUCK COULD HE NOT BE, RIGHT? I mean...

he looks so sure of himself, He´s going on those missions with trained hunters all the time, he´s fearless! And then Ravonna says: “even with that, you´re of no danger to me” And I was like: Ha! keep dreaming girl He´ll show you! And Mobius was like: “Is that what you think? Let´s see..” And I was like: Yeeees that´s my boyyyyy!!!”

And then Ravonna was like...

Mobius in the air in like a split of second. And I was like 

But Mobius freaking smiled and was like: “Yeah you were right”

ok. OK. HE´S MY FUCKING FAVOURITE NOW. THERE IS NO ONE BETTER THEN HIM SORRY.  Suddenly I was lost. I was blown away. It was HE BETTER STAYS IN MCU FOREVER OR I WILL SCREAM type of feeling. So let me get this straight. He can´t fight. He probably knows that he is not a good fighter, and he...  HOLY SHIT. THE WHOLE SERIES IS SO MUCH BETTER!!! .... As much as I love the idea of strong Mobius with long hair and daggers, looking for Loki through entire universe… I´m not sure, if I really want to see that in canon. I just love this cute and non-combatant version of Mobius too much, I´m sorry! Let me explain my weird brain please: we have lots of strong heroes in MCU – those who are great fighters, or those who had to learn how to fight.   The one thing I always loved about Iron man was the fact, that he really needed his brilliant brain, his technology (suit) and bravery to fight. And in the end he was the hero who saved them all. I mean… yeah. There are side-kicks, like Happy Hogan, or Luis (Ant man´s best friend) and I LOVE them! But none of them has got as much screen time and importance, as Mobius. When I think about what I love so much about him and his dynamic with Loki, there is always this one thing that prevails: one of them is an incredibly strong but also very careful god (not when he´s drunk though) who uses a lots of strategies and plans, while the other is a tiny man in a suit who can´t fight shit but runs into the throat of a danger every chance he get and no one can´t stop him. just look at him!!!

He goes on missions with these trained hunters to just look around for clues and has no concerns about potentional harm whatsoever.

And he even finds the time to stand up for normal people and be kind to them in the process:

Once Loki has no collar, on his neck he could break all Mobius´s limbs in a matter of seconds if he wanted to, but Mobius is completely sure he has nothing to worry about around his Loki. He´s not scared of ANYTHING, especially  of Loki variants. Like EVER! :D

let me break it down in detail for ya. I made a list: When they are taking Loki on his first mission outside, Loki asks, if no one is concerned that he is going to has his magic back...

well, maybe someone actually is concerned by that but it sure as hell isn´t Mobius. He just simply says that he could get Loki to Time keepers if he won´t try anything and like... this one line is getting on Loki so much, that Loki even tries to use it few moments latter xD And here is the best scene ever: 

LOKI: “we can go anywhere!” 

MOBIUS: “I´m not taking you for a stroll along the promenade, much less an apocalypse” FEW MOMENTS LATTER:

Hang on. Wait. So you telling me, he took this man outside without  permission, without backup (you know, hunters, that actually CAN fight), right to the apocalypse, knowing that Loki can use his powers anytime, however he wants.  It´s just...  God. I love him!!! And then he just hands him the daggers like it´s no big deal!

Like are we all aware this man has no any super powers, no big strength, nor any impressive fighting skills and he is willing to give him daggers for a mission, where this god is capable of magic and everyone else in team ECCEPT mobius is at least able to fight????? And he just has that small bulletproof vest,  and a raincoat and he chats with Loki in a rain like it was a fucking another apocalyptic DATE?

Ok. Let´s jump to the episode four He goes and persuades Ravonna to let him interrogate Sylvie and he is straight up arguing with her, even when he´s told how dangerous Sylvie is. This man LOVES danger!!! 

Once he has doubts he  decides to risk it all and  swaps TemPads right behind Ravonnas back. 

And he is watching it OUT LOUD in a place where anyone can show up at anytime! 

no but serously. This is a face of a man who is EXCITED for a dangerous adventures with Loki. Yeah, lets bring this whole place down together! 

And then we have this scene. Mobius really has a nerves to pull “ ha ha I had to take it by mistake” line right there. 

But once he understand he´s gonna die, he just take his fate with bravery and talks to Ravonna about life he really desires. 

And remember that time Ravonna warned him about this variant and how dangerous she is?  He casually saves her, just like that. No big deal. 

He even has a time to make teasing notes about how  Sylvie should be more careful jumping to a strangers car like that and how she really is one of the Lokis. 

And after he saves her, he manage to apologize to her  and make her to like him. EVERY FREAKING LOKI LIKES HIM! - that has to be his super power I swear And then Sylvie is like: well actually let´s go back there, I think It´s the best idea ever.  And mobius is like:  What back to the angry cloud? - oh great. fuck this why the hell not. Lets do it. 

so... while Loki and Sylvie are getting closer, lets show us, how literally every Loki likes Mobius (like not even alligator loki wants to hurt him, even when Mobius suggests that he is a liar I CAN´T) And just random (AGAIN) during the chat  saving Loki and Sylvie (without even knowing) when he inspires Classic Loki to change. 

He offers free tickets straght to the TVA to kid Loki, classic Loki and an alligator. I mean... What a LEGEND. 

when he gets there he just knock on Ravonna´s door and is like - lets talk about it xDD

And he isn´t even suprised to lose that fight. He makes himself comfortable on the floor: yeah you were right. Here we go again. Just prune me already, doesn´t matter, I have my Lokis there anyway.

But make no mistake, I don´t think he is stupid, or naive. That is the most fascinating thing about him.  He is brilliant. He can makes great plans (it surely as hell was him, who come up with the high school scheme) He is a great  investigator, he  is familiar with psychology very well, he know how to manipulate people just as well, as Loki. He can  interrogate flawlessly (when jealousy is not involved) And when he woke up in the Void, he was able to escape certain death, choose a car and drive around looking for Loki - and eventualy save Sylvie. He is a very capable man. I dont think he shouldn´t have any power. Like - he has his inteligence, his knowledge of all  languages  (I want to see him chat with Groot please), his knowledge of psychology,  knowledge  of how TVA works... He can have his pruning stick, TemPad, bulletproof vest and a raincoat for what I care. but most importantly he has his kind heart, love of adrenaline, and he is a freaking Loki expert. And let´s not forget, every Loki loves him. Also, he has a damn luck as well :D It´s like - Loki always ends up loosing, so Mobius  is fine  - even when he should be dead about million times already. (one man´s void is another man´s piece of cake) So when they are togheter. There is no way for Loki to actually die. Not by his side xD So I don´t think he needs to become great fighter. I believe, that this is a hundred times better. Creators should explore this dynamic to it´s bottom before they make him fighter with super powers or something like that. ( I wouldn´t mind long hair though)  I´m sorry. But I just really love that. I love how small and fragile he is, but he wont be scared of anything. And now he´s Loki best friend (while having masive crush on him, let's be precise ) So just imagine all those amazing scenes that could come with that.  Imagine there is some very dangerous Loki variant that everyone has problem to deal with, and Mobius is gonna be like - you´re so cute guys, nice try. Now let me talk to him, will ya.  Imagine some big battle where our Loki and Mobius are fighting side by side with Avengers and Loki is using all his potential, and he is so stunning in his leather but he can´t focus very well, because few metters from him is a small, fragile man in a suit just using TemPad an afucking pruning stick. And Loki didn´t even want him there in the first place. So they are arguing like married couple right then and there and every avenger AND enemy in  close distance just can´t believe these two are real.  also Loki saves Mobius by taking him in his arms right on time and running to safety with him

Maybe this post is  completely useless and has  incredibly bad english like every text I write, but I don´t care. I just wanted to loudly  appreciate this mans non-fighting skills and his hilariously huge courage. End of the post.  have nice day! Bye!

#Loki #loki series #loki laufeyson #Mobius #mobius m mobius #loki spoilers #lokius #loki and mobius #i love him okay #He is the best character marvel ever created #longpost #long post