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dtrhwithalex · 3 years

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TV | Leverage (Season 2, Rewatch)

Rewatch of the second season of TNT's LEVERAGE (2008-2012), created by John Rogers and Chris Downey together with Dean Devlin and his production company Electric Entertainment.

In anticipation of the show's reboot / revival / sequel LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION coming to IMDbTV on 09 July this year, I am rewatching the original 77 episodes and writing about my favourite moments and things from each episode, season by season.

201: THE BEANTOWN BAILOUT JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 15 July 2009.

We here at the Rabbit Hole adore the Beantown Bailout Job very much (and by we I mean me). It is such a great season-opener and everything about it sets up the season so nicely. Also let me just say, I love the cheesy intro. I like to imagine that this plays on whatever website the clients usually end up finding the team. It would be so confusing. And wonderful.

This episode, of course, also introduces another of my favourite characters: Lt. Patrick Bonanno, State Police. And I am very sad that there is zero chance we'll ever get to see him in the reboot, since the wonderful Robert Blanche has unfortunately passed away last year. Bonanno was such a fantastic addition to this show and I love him very much. He is just brilliant in every episode he is in.

Aside from the introduction of Bonanno, Beantown is a brilliant episode for various reasons, but I wanna talk about this one most of all. John Rogers talked about this on his blog, I think -- not one member of the team can come straight out and admit that they need the others. It is the impromptu meeting at Sophie's performance that brings them together again (very much against Nate's best attempts). Only once they're at McRory's and Parker suggests stealing something to cheer up Sophie is when they all fess up and tell Nate that they want this team back together again. And then, of course, we have one of my favourite sequences in this entire show: Nate forcefully being bullied back into this family. They do exactly what he did to them in The Second David Job -- they get him to contribute knowledge to the case that they, allegedly, lack. And he knows what they're doing, of course, he's not an idiot. Well played, indeed.

I would also like to personally thank one Nadine Haders, this show's most brilliant costume designer, for every single piece of clothing she put on Christian Kane for this episode. That green sweater with the brown jeans jacket? All my love to you, Nadine. All of it. Also, uncharacteristically, Nate has some very good looks in this episode (the man looks healthy for once!) and I am unreasonably mad about it (actually, he has some very good looks this entire season).

One last thing: I would like to have a word with whoever decided to play the Andy Lange song here that Sophie's departure in The Two Live Crew Job is set to. It makes this first half of the season a circle. Who do I need to have words with? Who?

202: THE TAP-OUT JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: ALBERT KIM. Original Air Date: 22 July 2009.

An absolutely amazing episode for Eliot but also very much for Sophie. They are the Conference Of Mom Friends, and I adore them very much, thank you. It is a fantastic episode for them individually, but especially also for the specific relationship these two people have. There is an amazing post floating around on this website (this one here) talking exactly about this episode and Eliot and Sophie in the role of protectors in their team, their family.

There are a few scenes here that I really like and really, most of them are about or with Eliot. I love in the briefing at the hotel that Eliot does not just dismiss Sophie's misunderstanding of wrestling, but takes the time to explain to her what the sport is about -- and she listens. We also here get a nice glimpse at the fact that Eliot teaches them certain fighting skills and self-defence techniques, which I just love so much. Just as Sophie coaches them all in their grifts, he makes sure that they all have a certain know-how in fighting and protecting themselves. It's so good.

I am also very fond of both the moment where Eliot brings Sophie to the restaurant to meet with Rucker, but also Sophie showing up at the gym at night to talk to Eliot while he's preparing for the fight against Tank. Eliot gives away so much of himself in this episode, and it is very interesting to me that the person he does this with is, continually, Sophie. The others may be on comms, and might be, for all we know, listening in, but it is Sophie he tells these things to. It's like Hardison says later in The Two Live Crew Job: "We trust Nate to make sure the plan works, we trust you (Sophie) to make sure we're all okay." While I would not necessarily call Sophie the heart of the group (that's Hardison), she is very much the emotional centre of it.

This episode is also just very lovely to see how they all take to an environment that is, for once, not big city life. Eliot takes to it immediately, which makes sense, because he probably is from a town not much different from this one. Parker, somehow, fits in immediately as well (I love her I <3 Nebraska shirt). I feel like Nate never has any issues fitting in anywhere, he just takes things as they come. It is Hardison and Sophie who have difficulties -- Sophie because she is, after all, a bit posh and needs certain standards met, and Hardison because his world of technology does not mix well with a small, rural Midwestern town ("Can't hack a hick" anyone?).

203: THE ORDER 23 JOB

D: ROD HARDY. W: CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 29 July 2009.

I occasionally see some posts on here that call what the team does to Charles Dodgson in 512: The White Rabbit Job the worst thing the team does to a mark. I have to say, objectively, I think what they do to Eddie Maranjian in this episode is much worse. Of course, Dodgson is a good person, and Eddie is a crook, but still. Objectively? This episode is more evil.

Anyway, this episode has some fantastic moments that I adore a whole lot. I love Eliot and Hardison as cops, Sophie's act is absolutely amazing, and I have a super soft spot for both Nate teaching Parker what he is doing, and also Eliot and his side quest of helping Randy.

I am so incredibly fond of all these little moments where Parker's eventual role of Mastermind is already being planted. She always asks Nate questions, if she doesn't have a part to play in the con, she is with Nate, learning. She says it in the pilot episode already: "I'm really good at one thing, only one thing, that's it. But you, you know other things, and I can't stop doing my one thing, can't retire." And then she does her best to learn the other things Nate knows. This episode particularly, how Nate explains to her how NLP works, that what he is selling is fear. Nate is so patient with her, too. I love them both so very much.

Eliot's side quest with Randy and his abusive dad is an absolutely excellent addition to this episode. Especially after the previous Eliot-centric episode, this small thing just goes to show that, at their core, these are good people. Yes, they are criminals, the lot of them. But they are not bad people. Things like this just make me think that, it had to have been this exact combination of people Dubenich put together. Any other thief, any other hacker, and Nate would have walked away from this alone. It had to be Parker, Hardison and Eliot for this to work exactly as it did. And Eliot looking out for Randy even though they are in the middle of a con, taking his time to make sure Bob, the U.S. Marshall goes to see Randy, is exactly something that brings this point home.

Lastly, I adore that everyone shows up at the court house when Eddie goes to find his money. He knows they all conned him, but they know no one is ever going to believe him. It's a fantastic gloat scene. And I also really love that Nate explains why this works to the others: "So, here's everything you need to know about criminal law. Every crime has two elements, Actus reus, the act itself, and mens rea, Literally "The Guilty Mind." ... Now, for escape, the prisoner has to both break out of custody and show the intent to escape. ... Which brings us back to our friend Eddie and how the brain reacts to fear. In the heat of the moment Eddie didn't ask himself a simple question, who would doubt his guilty mind?"

204: THE FAIRY GODPARENTS JOB

D: JONATHAN FRAKES. W: AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 05 August 2009.

This one was Bernie Madoff inspired, if I recall correctly, who was arrested in 2008, around the time Berg, Downey and Rogers were already bouncing ideas back and forth for this season.

There is so much to love in this episode! Where to even begin. Maybe with Parker replacing Sophie at the client meeting? Or Sophie immediately heading for both popcorn and the cookie tin after the breakup? How about Parker perching on Eliot's arm rest with her food? Nate's headmaster act? Eliot as Coach Brewer (red is a fantastic colour on him, thank you Nadine)? Hipster rich newlyweds Parker and Hardison? The return of my beloved FBI fools McSweetheart and Taggert? Taggert being McSweetheart's biggest supporter in his affection for Parker? Sophie and Widmark? The actual science-sical with all these adorable kids singing about science?

So much to love. Chock-full of greatness, this episode. Also Frakes, once again, directed the hell outta this. I love this episode so very much.

One moment that does, however, absolutely win out over everything else, is the scene at Nate's apartment after Hardison and Parker meet McSweeten and Taggert again:

Eliot: One of you two can identify the gunman, right? Hardison: Oh, yeah, sure. He stopped and let me take a picture of him as I was chasing him. Eliot: Hey, you know what, man? I've been around little kids all day. I don't need to come home and do all this crap.

That line, Mr Spencer? "I don't need to come home and do all this crap"? Home? Sir, we are four episodes into the second season, and you are already calling Nate's apartment home. Honestly, that boy has been invested into this group as a family from the moment Hardison hands him a check in the pilot episode, if not earlier. And I am very much here for all of it.

205: THE THREE DAYS OF THE HUNTER JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: MELISSA GLENN & JESSICA RIEDER (GRASL). Original Air Date: 12 August 2009.

This is another one of those episodes which, when I think about it, I am not entirely into, but then when I watch it, I always love it. It's a brilliant episode, but the mark rubs me in all the wrong ways and I think that's why my general reaction to this episode in theory is mostly "ew". Which I think is kind of the point, as well.

There is much to love in this episode, though. Sophie being Nate in this one, Nate being very wary of this concept and also having difficulties letting someone else take control ("If you don't mind, I would still do the 'Hardison, run it' thing" Nathan you precious little man, I love you so much). I think it's so nicely done. I mean Sophie has run cons before -- she was the Mastermind behind the First David Job, and she runs their con in the Second David Job as well -- but then she was confident, now she is going through things, on the brink of rediscovering herself for who she is. And of course, it bites her in the ass a little bit.

I absolutely adore Conspiracy Nut Hardison and his fantastic apartment. Set Design did a magnificent job here. I am so fond of Parker asking Eliot about the different things -- the council, the moon landing, Loch Ness monster -- and also very much the bit at the end where he and Hardison answer Parker's questions while he prepares food. That ending bit overall is just absolutely excellent and I love it with my whole heart. Eliot cooking for all of them in Nate's kitchen, giving Parker stuff to try, while Hardison sits there and sips his orange soda out of a wine glass. Meanwhile Nate pouring wine for Sophie, and then going over to her to make sure she is alright. For his slightly more sadistic streak in this season, Nate is so good with Sophie here. And honestly I think this conversation here is one of the reasons why Sophie feels able to leave them for a while. It is Nate's reassurance of "Whatever you need, I'm here for you" that lets her take this leave of absence.

206: THE TOP HAT JOB

D: PETER O'FALLON. W: M. SCOTT VEACH & CHRISTINE BOYLAN. Original Air Date: 19 August 2009.

I adore this episode! The fantastic Veach and Boylan on the keyboard for this one (who, I've had to find out, are both tangentially involved with my latest hyperfixation, SHADOW AND BONE -- Veach having written my favourite episode, and Boylan being married to the showrunner), which is just lovely, because they are both excellent.

First off, I would like to, once again, give all my love to Nadine Haders for that Pizza Guy outfit she put Kane in for the recon sequence. A+ costuming, thank you Nadine.

This episode has so many excellent comedic beats and a wonderful many Hardison/Eliot moments. Sophie trying to set up Nate with their client is absolutely hysterical -- especially considering that she had just been broken up with and had been urging Nate to figure out what it is that is between them since day one. I especially love her attempt at finding things Nate has in common with Jameson: "She's a scientist. And well, you're a bit nerdy, aren't you? ... And food, she works with food. Well, you eat, don't you?" Like, girl, what are you trying to do here, really?

I absolutely adore Hardison and Eliot trying to get into the server room so Hardison can access the data they are trying to get before anyone can get rid of it. Eliot hooking Parker's rope to Hardison's belt, Eliot's complete awe at Hardison's ability to remote access their mark's phone ("You can do that?" Eliot, honey, he can do so much more), the two of them wedged underneath the desk, and then, of course, Eliot's huge smile when Hardison hacks the scanner at the door with the help of his gummy frogs. I love these boys together so much, and this episode has given me so many great moments.

I am also incredibly fond of Nate's magician act. That is a brilliant role and it suits him so well. And I love how genuinely enthusiastic he is about magic.

207: THE TWO LIVE CREW JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS & AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 26 August 2009.

This is an absolutely brilliant episode for so many different reasons. Let me get two things out of the way straight off the bat: 1) Where do I address my "Chaos For Leverage: Redemption" campaign to? and 2) Where do I address my "Apollo Robbins For Leverage: Redemption" campaign to? I want both of them back desperately!

Of course, this episode is important as a major stepping stone in Sophie's character arc. Because of Chaos and his bomb, she has to kill off one of her aliases which is the last thing that then leads to her taking a leave of absence to figure out who she is and who she wants to be. That scene in her apartment with the bomb is also just an excellent moment for the team as a family. The care with which everyone interacts with Sophie, Parker's instant pudding hack, Eliot's instructions on how defuse this situation, Sophie's immediate shift into protector mode once it becomes clear that the only real solution is to run and telling everyone to leave immediately, Nate staying behind and even when Sophie tells him to leave, waiting for her by the apartment door -- they care for each other so much.

I also really love the con-off with Starke's crew. It is so nice to see how similar yet different he and Nate are, and the same goes for the other crew members. I adore their individual confrontations a lot. Eliot's non-fight fight with Mikel Dayan, Parker's thief-off with Apollo, Hardison and Chaos' baby monitor fight. It just really highlights who our beloved characters are and what makes them them, now that we see them, metaphorically, in front of their mirror.

And then, of course, the actual heist is also just amazing. I adore that Starke chooses Nate as his alias to gain access, it is such a great move. Parker and Apollo talking in the ventilation shaft about birds is also just so lovely. And as an admirer of Eliot's arms, I am also very fond of his fight with Mikel. Good choices have been made, I appreciate all of them. The reveal at the end is also absolutely amazing. To beat them they had to save them? Brilliant.

Lastly, of course, Sophie's goodbye at the graveyard with Nate. What a spectacular moment. Also just, the visuals are so beautiful. I love the lighting here. And of course the return of Andy Lange's song, which is just perfect. I am so happy that this is the journey they decided to give Sophie when it became clear that Gina would not be able to be in the full seasons due to her pregnancy. They accommodated her so beautifully and gave Sophie such an amazing moment of character growth. This is why I love this show and the people who made it so much. All my love, to all of them.

208: THE ICE MAN JOB

D: JEREMIAH CHECHIK. W: CHRISTINE BOYLAN. Original Air Date: 02 September 2009.

We love The Ice Man Job! Another fantastic episode by one Christine Boylan who we love in this house. Our very first episode without Sophie being there, and it's a great one. I absolutely adore how they worked in moments with our favourite grifter in a way that so wonderfully accommodates Gina's pregnancy.

I absolutely adore the moments where all of them eventually end up calling Sophie. Parker, hiding underneath the bar after Nate tells her she'll be the grifter in this one, calling her mom Sophie in a panic without wanting the others to know, but still needing her advice and missing her so much. Then Eliot, calling to complain to his mom Sophie about Hardison going overboard again with the grift, needing the knowledge that his concerns are being heard and aren't unfounded, needs to hear the other protector of the family acknowledge his rightful fear that things will go sideways. And of course also Hardison, calling mom Sophie so she can pick him up from the party help him out of the mess he's made, hoping against all hope that she'll be able to help without having to involve Nate. The others both had the luxury to ask Sophie not to tell Nate -- Hardison had no other choice but to let her call it in. Lastly, Nate too, at the end, calling his wife Sophie. And honestly, I love that Sophie drops her phone into her drink after the call, because Nate is the only one not giving her what she wants to hear. The kids, all of them, called with an "I need you" and that is the one thing Nate doesn't give her.

There are many other things in this episode that I love very much. The opening briefing, Parker feeling alone on the big empty couch, trying to sit next to Eliot, but he makes her move. Nate's big DadTM moment of "Eliot, can you please sit next to Parker" and Eliot's very long-suffering oldest child answer "No! I'm sitting here now."

Then of course Eliot and Hardison's two moments -- Eliot telling Hardison "I ain't bailing your ass out" and then when he eventually does anyway, Hardison's smug joy, forcing Eliot to sort-of-hug him back at McRory's. Eliot's unsuccessful attempt to make him helping Hardison a decision forced onto him by Parker, and Parker refusing to accept the "blame" immediately. Their whole dynamic this episode is just so good. Neither Eliot nor Parker being happy with Hardison in this role (Parker's refusal to ride with him in the Ferrari), Eliot proudly watching Parker do her thing over the security camera ("Stuck it!").

Lots of love also to Pasha Lychnikoff as our main Russian goon, who is just fantastic here, our much beloved Lt. Patrick Bonanno, and also Nadine Haders for so many amazing looks, especially on Eliot.

209: THE LOST HEIR JOB

D: PETER WINTHER. W: CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 09 September 2009.

Court-room episode, which means we have our friend Chris Downey on the keys here, and he gave us an absolutely excellent introduction for Tara Cole played by the lovely Jeri Ryan. Honestly, the more often I watch this episode, the better it gets. Tara is just so good.

Highlights of this episode include: Sophie's immediate "who died?!" when Nate shows up at her apartment in London, Hardison playing "Where is Waldo Ford," Hardison and Eliot in prison, the first appearance of Nate's lawyer alias Jimmy Papadokalis who wears brilliantly loud and obnoxious suits in outrageous colour-combinations, Hardison stalling Blanchard at court security with his keys, Nate's reveal of Ruth as Kimball's daughter (I am fascinated that he completely drops the character here -- he is just Nate now), and of course, the reveal of Tara at the end.

Honestly, this is such a magnificent episode to introduce Tara's character. We have just watched the team scramble and fuck up without Sophie, and then their next job gets more complicated because of this random lawyer who shows up. And she's so righteous and law-abiding and absolutely not someone they should be taking with them on their job. And Tara plays it perfectly. Her honest try at getting Orson to talk to them, her confusion about her "dogs", her excited smile when she gets to con Blanchard and be a bit dishonest -- it is so good. And then we get that complete 180° when the team finds her in Nate's apartment. Not just visually, but the personality. Her voice drops a bit too. Jeri fucking rocked this introduction. The reveal is so damn good.

210: THE RUNWAY JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: ALBERT KIM. Original Air Date: 13 January 2010.

I have zero interest in fashion but I honest to God love every single one of these characters at fashion week. Fashion!Eliot is absolutely fantastical and I love him. Julien, my beloved. Fashion!Parker is very cute with her braid and even before she gets the model makeover she outshines every single other person at the event. Fashion!Hardison is surprisingly understated but I dig it. Tara as Caprina is also just excellent. And I absolutely, un-ironically adore Fashion!Nate. Jacques is such a character. Nate exchanged the usual "obnoxious and greasy" with "gay," slapped some would-be-French that sounds like German on top of it, and called it a character. And I love it.

I also very much love the three video calls with Sophie in this episode. The kids calling in the beginning, complaining about Tara. I absolutely adore both the "she's hot" moment and Eliot's "...and all the way to Europe?" when Sophie says Nate lets what is good for him walk out the door. Parker's little "I just miss you" before they hang up has me all the way up in my emotions every damn time. Tara calling Sophie to complain about Nate is also just excellent. The whole bit with Nate's "I'm sexy because I'm broken" thing is just *chef's kiss*. And of course Nate's call at the end. I love that Sophie hangs up on him, it is so fair, it is absolutely justified. And I think he knows that too.

So many great other moments too -- Hardison's Steven Seagal comment about Eliot's clothes, Nate's "Julien, sweetheart" and Eliot's little clap before taking the money, Nate and Parker at the mark's house, Eliot and Tara vs the Triads, Eliot and Parker at fashion week together ("It's a fashion show, not Thieves'R'Us"), and of course Tara's "For what it's worth, Sophie was right. You guys are the best I've ever seen ... But no one in the world, is as good as you think you are."

211: THE BOTTLE JOB

D: JONATHAN FRAKES. W: CHRISTINE BOYLAN. Original Air Date: 20 January 2010.

This episode has got to be one of my favourites, if I were forced to chose some. I love a bottle episode, and this one is just magnificent. Excellent client, great mark, fantastic additional characters, wonderful episode for the team. All around just, so good. Not surprising if Frakes and Boylan are at the wheel together, of course.

The addition of Cora is so lovely. I would have loved to see more of her, to be honest. She is such a great character. I love what her presence does to who we see Nate as. I adore when characters get to show new sides of themselves, it's so nice. Also, Nate's comment to Eliot about him not wanting Eliot to like Cora because she's like his niece? Most excellent.

I adore our three police officers too. Mickey, Danny and Johnny are such great additions. I really liked them. How they just went with whatever Nate was planning and in the end decided to just pretend none of this ever happened, it's just so good.

Doyle and the Liams as our villains of the week are also just fantastic. Also I just love Irish accents, it sounds so good. I love to hear it.

Other highlights of this episode include: Tara's "I'm Trish and I'm lonely", the kids going for their individual emergency funds stashed in Nate's place (they are all so fantastically in character, I love it), Nate using his dad's name as his alias, everyone stopping to see if Nate is going to succumb to the booze again, Hardison's excitement about pulling off the wire in under 2h, Hardison faking the weather, Eliot and Parker on safe duty. Also, rewatching this episode, I am absolutely 100% convinced that what Eliot is doing to distract the Liams from Tara conning Doyle, absolutely categorises as flirting. The way he throws that dart at the board and then buys them beer? Mr Spencer, sir, you are flirting with these guys.

212: THE ZANZIBAR MARKETPLACE JOB

D: JEREMIAH CHECHIK. W: MELISSA GLENN & JESSICA RIEDER (GRASL). Original Air Date: 27 January 2010.

The wonder twins with yet another magnificent episode. No surprises here. We have not just the return of Maggie but also of Sterling! We love this!!! (Seriously, I want both of them back in the reboot. I don't care that they're most closely tied to Nate. Bring them back.)

This episode has so many absolutely excellent moments as well. I love the opening sequence in the bar, with them going over possible next clients together, Nate kicking Eliot for flirting with the bartender, and then of course also Sterling walking in. The interaction Nate and Eliot have here is just fantastic.

Sterling: *walks in* Nate: Eliot, I'm gonna ask you not do do anything violent. Eliot: Wha-what are you talking about? I only use violence as an appropriate response. Sterling: Hello, Nate. Eliot: *responds appropriately*

And to think that Sterling only gets beat up here because Mark Sheppard's son was visiting the set that day and wanted to see his dad get beat up by Eliot. We stan one Sheppard Jr.

I very much love the scene where Nate and Sterling go over what they have on Lundy, and then Parker interrupting them out of nowhere, just sitting there on the counter, like she's been there forever (which she probably has). Also just, fantastic clothes on Parker, thank you Nadine. Maggie showing up here is of course also brilliant and I am very fond of Parker making Maggie a fugitive bag. It is so completely adorable. I love my girl so much.

Another favourite moment is, of course, Tara and Eliot getting Chernov to tell them where the sale of the Fabergé egg will take place. Tara not saying a damn thing, Eliot grumpily doing what Tara tells him to ("Do that thing with your eyes that scares people" / "What -- I don't know what you're talking about"), Chernov's complete unease about this whole entire situation, and then of course Tara and Eliot's other interaction:

Tara: What we imagine is always so much better than reality. Eliot, with the tiniest voice possible: Like love? Tara: *just stares at him, confused*

Just, *chef's kiss* this scene.

The scenes in the embassy are also just excellent. Tara and Nate pretending to be a couple, Nate's inability to deal with the idea of Maggie and Alexander, Maggie and Tara hysterically giggling while talking about Nate, Sterling pretending to be drunk (and incredibly gay) to get Parker access to the egg room -- brilliance, all the way through.

I adore Eliot taking charge of the situation once it becomes clear that Maggie and Nate have been taken hostage. Parker doing her magic and switching the bomb with the empty briefcase in the elevators is beautiful. Maggie kissing Nate instead of Lundy in what could have been their final moment and regretting it instantly the moment Parker shows up is excellent.

And the final scene back at McRory's is also just wonderful. The kids watching the news about Sterling with Tara ("I hate this guy" / "Now, you're part of the team"), and Nate talking with Maggie. I adore Maggie in this scene so much. Her and Nate's relationship is so lovely. We know Sophie understands how Nate ticks, but Maggie knows him so well too, still.

213: THE FUTURE JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: CHRIS DOWNEY & AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 03 February 2010.

This episode is so good for so many reasons. First off, I adore Luke Perry (I'm still sad about him) even if he plays creeps like Rand in most everything I've seen him in. He was just so good. Second, Medium Tara is probably my favourite role of hers. It's a lot softer than many of the other characters she's done, and I love it. Also the costuming is just excellent.

But I want to talk about Parker most of all. The scene where Rand cold reads her is so well done. Riesgraf knocked it out of the park here. Also, I love how Nate, as soon as Rand starts approaching and doing his act, barely ever takes his eyes off her. He occasionally glances at Rand, but his attention is on Parker at all times. And it just makes me feel things.

The team coming back to Nate's to find Parker sitting on the floor in front of the couch, crying also makes me super emo. They are all so very careful with her here. Even Tara, who hasn't been with them for that long. I quite like how Eliot and Hardison choose to sit a bit away, giving her space, and Nate carefully approaches and sits closest to her. They are all so good with her here, I love them all so much. And I absolutely adore this part of the conversation:

Tara: So what do we do now? Parker: Cut off his arms. And his head. Yeah. I wanna kill him. Can we make that happen? Eliot: Yeah, I can...I mean, I could...

Also earlier, after Tara acknowledges that Rand is good at what he does, Hardison says "He should be shot." I adore how both our boys would not hesitate to end this man for hurting Parker like this. That's their girl and he went too damn far. And even though Nate suggests a way of retaliation that is less final, he isn't above hurting the man either. Because that's his girl, too:

Hardison: Nate had me rig the table with a mild electrical current. Eliot: You electrocuted him? Nate, smugly: Yes, I did. It helped sell the bit. Parker: I approve. Nate: Thanks, Parker. Eliot: No, her agreeing with you is not a good thing. Nate, whispering to Parker: Thanks.

And add to that the absolute joy each and every one of them have when fucking with Rand to fulfil Tara's predictions? *Chef's kiss.* Absolutely beautiful.

There is so much more absolutely fantastic content in this episode, but I just wanna point out the ending where they meet with the client again. Nate is so good with them here. The way he talks to Jodie about her baby and how she will see her late husband in the child, makes me cry every damn time. Just like Tara says, "Yeah, now I see why you do it," this is why this show is so damn good. It's because of this exactly. Because for one shining moment within so much suck and tragedy, there is goodness and a wrong that has been made right. They help people and it isn't just fleeting momentary relief. They change people's lives for the better. I love this fucking show so much.

214: THE THREE STRIKES JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 10 February 2010.

First half of the second finale! Patrick Bonanno my beloved! I get so sad every time he gets shot here. My man deserves better than this. I love Bonanno so damn much, man. I absolutely adore that Nate goes to see his family at the hospital. Like, this is a cop. The very opposite side of the law Nate and his people operate on. But he goes to see him anyway, because this is their cop. And I love that Bonanno's wife recognises Nate's name. "He wanted to buy you a drink. And then arrest you." That's just so good.

I also absolutely love Richard Kind as Brad Culpepper, the corrupt mayor. I would love to see him back in the reboot, but I doubt there'd be any reasonable explanation why on earth they'd have to see this particular mayor again. I just think Richard Kind is an absolutely fantastic actor.

Anyway, favourite moments. Hardison and Eliot at Bonanno's house is beautiful. I am so fond of how Hardison deals with law enforcement while impersonating law enforcement. He tears them down and builds them back up again, every single time. And I adore how Eliot just smiles at his antics. He crawls around on that carpet with the young cop and Eliot just stands there and smiles. I love them, guys. I really do. Parker pretending to be Brad's pregnant lover with Tara's help is also just most excellent.

And of course: Roy Chappell. Baseball Eliot, my most beloved. There is so much to love about this whole concept. Eliot's reluctance at first because he doesn't like baseball. The discovery that baseball is actually something cool and something he is good at. His absolute childlike joy at the energy drink commercial Hardison made him. His damn hair during the actual game. The sandwich! The enthusiasm about the sandwich. Hardison admitting that the sandwich thing is cool.

I also absolutely love Hardison and Parker as Beavers Fans. The badly photoshopped picture of Dean Devlin and John Rogers as the radio hosts makes me smile so much. So does hearing their voices on the show. Both Hardison and Parker's phone calls to them are also brilliant. Parker speaking Spanish? Marvelous. The two of them demonstrating the Beavers leaving? *Chef's kiss.*

The final showdown with Brad and then the FBI is also just most excellent. Nate going ballistic on Brad because of Bonanno. Hardison and Lucille. Parker giving Lucille a little kiss before they send her to explode as a distraction. Hardison quoting Spock to say goodbye to Lucille. Hardison being pissed at Nate about Lucille. And of course: Jim Sterling, Interpol. The bastard. I love him.

215: THE MALTESE FALCON JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 17 February 2010.

Second half of second finale! And it's a good one, too. This show has absolutely brilliant finales, lemme tell you.

What do we love about this episode? MUCH. Tara's naked bit is excellent. Eliot and Parker sharing a look after watching Tara's naked bit is even better. Parker turning on the porn channels on the hotel tv is hilarious. Eliot talking to the receptionist about the gym is hysterical ("Ah, the fitness spa. Isn't the Zen Steam Garden divine?" / "Yeah....delicious").

Nate on stairs vs Sterling in elevator is probably the pettiest thing I have ever watched on television and it is absolutely amazing. I don't think anything can ever top this as pettiest moment. It is just so good.

Sterling, of course, is always great fun. I love that he has his own little villain theme that announces him before he even enters the screen. Love a good villain theme. And I adore his moment with FBI Bob outside Brad's hotel room.

Sterling: Name's Bob, right? Bob: Yes, sir. Sterling: You've been here the whole time, Bob? Bob: Yes, sir. Sterling: And nobody's gone in or out, Bob? Bob: No, sir. Sterling: Then would you mind explaining, where the HELL THE MAYOR IS?!

Absolutely perfect.

Nate going back to his place always has me all up in my emotions. Also, I think Sterling here absolutely believes that what he is offering Nate, is good for him. That he can save him from himself or something. They were something like friends at some point, after all. And of course, Nate calling Sophie. She is, of course, unbeknownst to him, already on the way to save his ass. But he calls her and finally tells her exactly what she wanted to hear at the end of The Ice Man Job: "I need you. Not the team, me." Sir. I am emo about you.

And then of course the final con and the reveal of Sophie's return. I absolutely love that Parker's first reaction to Tara possibly betraying them was to try and throw her off the roof. That's my girl (I love Tara, but that was fair). Also just, if you pay attention on the boat scenes, you can see Sophie from as early as Kadjic hearing Nate's offer and then leading Nate and Eliot below deck. If you can pick out her hair and know the colour of her coat from the scene in the helicopter, you know that she is there. And then, below deck, you can see her so many times -- at one point essentially back to back with Nate -- before any of the characters know she's there. And can I just say, I absolutely love Nate's completely shocked face when he hears her voice. Those comedically big eyes are just excellent.

Everyone seeing Sophie again is done so well. Hardison and Eliot's confused "Sophie?" when she walks past. Eliot winking at Sophie after they free Nate. Parker hugging her immediately once her and Tara arrive on the ship. Hardison putting his hand on the small of her back as he passes by her to go down the stairs. I just love them all so much.

And lastly of course, the reveal of the plan, Nate cuffing himself to the railing and making Sterling leave his family alone. What Nate says to them always makes me so emo too: "You guys are the most honourable people I have ever met in my life. You have become my family, my only family. And I will never forget that." John Rogers, sir, we need to have some words once I get this lake out of my eyes. And I obviously can't not mention the kiss. Finally, finally Nate gets his shit together. And she slaps him and it is perfect. And then they leave and he sits down and bleeds and Sterling, for a moment, is genuinely concerned about Nate as a person and not merely about Nate as his only way to nail Kadjic.

Bob: Who the hell is this guy? Sterling: I have no idea. Nate: My name is Nate Ford. And I'm a thief.

Yes. Yes you are, you magnificent bastard.

[image taken from the electricnow website]

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maxwell-grant · 3 years

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Downfall of a Dark Avenger Part 2: Shadows of Manhattan

Having finished reading Al Ewing’s El Sombra trilogy and having had enough time to digest it, I’d like to talk about the trajectory of it’s titular protagonist, the character and series’s relationship with it’s influences. Relating to The Shadow and Zorro and general pulp archetypes, and also the way it incorporates Astro Boy’s Pluto into the mix.

This part is focused on Gods of Manhattan and El Sombra’s first appearences in Pax Omega and the ways in which the urban vigilante manifests itself in the books.

In Gods of Manhattan, El Sombra takes a backseat to it’s central players, Doc Thunder and The Blood-Spider. I’ve mentioned how Thunder, while ostensibly a Doc Savage/Superman amalgam, also combines aspects that allow the character to condense the entire history of the superman into a single being, but to a character very much centered on the future and in progressive ideals, described in the book as someone considered both the city’s ultimate savior as well as viewed as "a faggot, a liberal and a miscegenationist”. In that regard, the Blood-Spider becomes his opposite. Perhaps the most comprehensive savaging of the dark detective/The Shadow ever put on paper, that has a larger point behind the questions and criticisms it brings up to what this kind of figure can be.

"You can hardly have a war on crime unless you are the one defining what a crime is. First rule of the war on crime: everyone is guilty or something"

Us am vigilantes! Am us not men? Us use violence to effect social change! Am us not men? Us bring terror to underclass, make streets safer for overclass! Am us not men? Am us not men?

Making them loved rather than feared. Having them fight crime, or the right kind of crime, at least. Created a persona designed to appeal to the worst in people, to bring the citizens of New York around to his cause, his war on crime, which would, of course, then become a war against ‘urban crime’. Or some other little euphemism. ‘Inhuman’, for example. Sounds a lot more relatable than subhuman, doesn’t it? Comes to the same thing, though.

Although The Blood-Spider is an evil take on The Shadow, most of his character traits are taken from characters that followed him. He’s got the moniker, savagery, fright tactics and branded murders of The Spider, he climbs buildings and has a civilian identity akin to Spider-Man’s, with constant name references to characters like Stacey, Jonah and a redhead named Mary Watson, with him sharing a name with Peter Parker as well as Batman villain Jonathan Crane, he’s got Rorschach monologues that are echoed by his associates past his demise in white supremacist organizations dedicated to carrying off Spider’s legacy, predating HBO Watchmen’s take on Rorschach legacy. If Doc Thunder is all about taking the superhero’s past to create a better future with it, Blood-Spider takes the future of the urban vigilante and uses it as a conduit to enact a barbaric and reactionary agenda in service of undoing everything Thunder stands for, even before he’s revealed to be a Nazi agent.

Blood-Spider is what happens when the absolute worst aspects of said characters are brought to the forefront and twisted by a dose of reality. He’s to The Shadow what Plutonian is to Superman, the most sour way said character and legend can be twisted into something horrendous. He’s the Doutrinador in a fedora, everything I vehemently argue that The Shadow wasn’t, and yet seems sadly ever closer to as more and more comics dehumanize the character. He’s Howard Chaykin’s Shadow, naked and raw and exposed for what it ultimately is. An insult and a wake-up call, if a necessary one.

In fact, said poisoning of a legend is explicitly a plot point in the book, because the book establishes that, before The Blood-Spider, the city’s main vigilante used to be a man by the name of Blue Ghost, friend of Doc Thunder and, although a mysterious public figure, still firmly on the side of good. Unfortunately, moral victories aside, “good” alone doesn’t cut it in the world of El Sombra.

You took a look at the Blue Ghost - mysterious masked avenger, operatives all over the place, big fan-following with the working classes, and you figured...we need one of those. Just take away the Japanese orphan kid and replace him with a foxy Aryan chick.

Blue Ghost is almost a textbook Spirit analogue, even defined as being beat up a lot as his main asset, except here, he’s placed as Doc’s counterpart that died before the story began and is now replaced by a darker and more horrendous counterpart, and because The Spirit was influenced by The Shadow, it opens a roundabout connection. You can read this as a comparison between the shift from Adam West’s Batman to Frank Miller’s Batman, or a comparison between The Shadow and earlier more straightforward pulp vigilantes like Jimmie Dale, or a comparison between the pulp/radio Shadow and later iterations of him or analogues to his archetype that upped the nastier aspects. Again, nothing in El Sombra is ever quite just one thing.

And at last we come to El Sombra, who spends much of the book caught in between the duels of Doc, Untergang and players in between. And it’s interesting that here, while El Sombra’s final victories over the story’s major conflict lie in his willingness to team up with Doc, despite knowing of his origins as a Nazi weapon, his victories over Blood-Spider instead come from turning tricks of The Shadow against him. First, when he discovers Spider’s true nature, spying on him by pulling a Fritz the Janitor. And then in the finale, when he schools Spider on what a real shadowy avenger looks like.

"Amigo...that's my sword"

The voice came from the darkness above them, where the gaslight did not reach. The Spider's blood ran cold for a long moment, and then he grabbed hold of his other gun, tearing it from its holster and raising it to fire a volley of bullets into the darkness. "Where are you? Show yourself!" he hissed, turning in place, the gun raised to fire at the slightest sound or movement.

"You're not the only one who can hide in the shadows, my friend. I've got very good at it, over the years."

"Show yourself!" Another volley of shots, with no result. Was he throwing his voice? Was he everywhere at once? Was he a shadow himself? A ghost?

The voice echoed from another place now, continuing his speech exactly where he had left off. And still that mocking voice echoed from the shadows above.

"See, I didn't know if you were a good guy or a bad guy. I mean, sure, you killed people, and you were kind of a dick about it, you know? But I didn't know if you were one of the bastards. I didn't know if you needed to die or not, amigo."

The gun clicked empty. He was out of bullets. He turned again, and there was the man in the red mask. Just standing there, in the middle of the concourse. His smile didn't look human. And his eyes. Oh, his terrible eyes...

"Stay back." The Spider whispered, and his voice sounded in his ears like a frightened, animal thing, waiting to curl up and die in its hole.

The man in the red mask only laughed. A rich, deep, joyous laugh, a laugh that echoed and filled the whole station, bouncing from pillar to pillar, careening through the great vaulted arches. Such a laugh!

Then the laughter stopped, and he fixed the Blood-Spider with a look that would freeze the fires of Hell.

And suddenly - quite suddenly - there was no Blood-Spider. There was only Parker Crane, the Nazi. Parker Crane, the traitor. Who thought he could destroy America, and only managed to destroy himself. Parker Crane. Just a man wearing a mask. He ran, and left the sword behind him.

"Nice trick," Doc murmured, turning to the masked man. "Throwing your sword from up on the balcony - good aim, by the way - then throwing your voice and a little mental suggestion to make him think you were up in the arches where he'd been. Where did you learn that?"

The masked man shrugged, lifting up his weapon. "In the desert. You can learn a lot in the desert, if you put your mind to it."

By the story’s end, once Lars Lomax, Thunder’s arch-enemy and Lex Luthor, takes center stage as it’s ultimate threat, Parker Crane is left a traumatized, broken shell unable to even move, utterly stripped of any mystique or power that his mask and guns may have brought him. And in the end, El Sombra finds him, neutralized and no longer a threat to anyone. And he makes his choice.

El Sombra knew what it was to hate, to hate so hard and so long that you knew nothing else, to hate so strongly that it crossed that line into something beyond reason.

He lifted his sword, resting the blade in his palm for a moment, considering. Crane only stared, weeping and making his soft, mad noises. El Sombra sighed, shaking his head. "You know, I don't know if I can kill a guy who's already dead. Even if he is one of the bastards."

"Don't let him in here." Murmured Crane, his eyes wide.

"Shhh, I won't let him in," smiled El Sombra in response, trying to be reassuring. "You'll never have to face him again. I promise. It's okay, amigo. It's okay."

It was strange. He knew he should feel hate for Parker Crane. It was Djego's job to bear things like pity and doubt, to feel sorrow and shame. That was Djego's role in their team of one. El Sombra was there to take never-ending revenge and to laugh and to never look back. But to know that his murder of Heinrich Donner - his righteous kill - had resulted in so much harm coming to so many... and now to see the leader of Undergang, the man he'd come to New York to kill, just an empty, broken madman, a shell of a person... El Sombra wondered if he was changing.

"Don't," whispered Crane, a tear rolling down his cheek. "Don't let him back in."

El Sombra smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, amigo. I'm going to go and make sure nobody ever needs to see him again. And I couldn't have done it without you." He squeezed lightly. "You didn't mean to, but you did some good. Remember that."

Then, gently, he pushed the tip of the sword through the front of Crane's skull and into his brain.

He was not incapable of pity. But he was who he was, and he did what he did.

And broken or not, the bastards had to die.

We’ve seen El Sombra struggle and be faced with choices, choices between Djego and El Sombra, choices between kindness and violence, between peace and conflict. We’ve seen the conflict in his soul between things that he knows are right, because Djego is a good man with a good soul who wants good things for himself and others, and things he knows he must do, because he is El Sombra and El Sombra was created to kill the bastards that brought his world to ruin and therefore it’s what he must always do. And in the end, El Sombra is simply stronger. He has to be. But strength and violence and hatred can only get one so far.

Gods of Manhattan is the trilogy’s moral compass, the book that most clearly defines the morality the series operates on. And in between the spectrums of justice embodied by Doc and Crane’s approach, between the two urban avengers in The Blue Ghost and Blood-Spider, El Sombra made his choice. And it’s the first choice that dooms him.

Enter Pax Omega, and we learn that, 4 years since the previous book's events, El Sombra joined a squad of agents called Yankee Bravo Seven, who work for an organization named STEAM, who enact missions against Nazis to turn the tides of war. He is joined by several other types of characters, including The Blood Widow, Crane’s former assistant Marlene Lang now having taken up the moniker (just as Nita van Sloan did for The Spider, even with the “Widow” prefix). We see that El Sombra has joined a team of bantering heroes and even formed a friendly rivalry with a man named Savate, modeled after Batroc the Leaper.

But we see that the hunger for vengeance still burns, still burns beyond reason, restless because it’s been 4 years and the war still isn’t over and Hitler still isn’t dead by his sword. And it’s that restlessness that again dooms him, when he once again makes the wrong choice and betrays leader Jack Scorpio, Scorpio who had personally brought him on board and gave him the best shot he ever had at getting to Hitler.

El Sombra frowned. "We need to make our move now."

Scorpio shook his head. "Not yet."

"What?" El Sombra looked incredulous.

"Wait for my signal, I said! Damn it, I need you to trust me!" Jack Scorpio reached up to brush the back of his finger across his forehead, and realised he was sweating.

Through his special glasses, El Sombra's aura was glowing an angry, pulsing red, like a throbbing vein. "Just...trust me. I'm asking you to hold back for just five minutes. There's more going on here than you know."

El Sombra just stared at him, his lips pulling back from his teeth in a cold snarl.

"Trust me. That's all I ask." Jack Scorpio looked into the blazing eyes behind the bloodstained mask, and spoke softly, soothingly, almost desperately. "Can you just hold back for one minute?"

The eyes behind the mask narrowed.

"Can you?"

PERSONNEL FILE: DJEGO "EL SOMBRA". TO EYES ONLY: THIS INDIVIDUAL IS HIGHLY DANGEROUS. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED HE NOT BE INCLUDED IN ANY OPERATIONS CLASSIFIED ABOVE TOP SECRET OR HIGHER. (I'll take the risk - J.S)

El Sombra spat in Scorpio's face.

"Chinga tu madre."

Then he drew his sword and leaped down into the fray.

After the mission is over, with the base destroyed and a major victory secured, although with Jack Scorpio having been killed, the team disbands. El Sombra continues to wander the forests near the Luftwaffe base for about two weeks, killing as many Nazis as he can, until an explosion blast hits near him, knocking away his mask and portions of his leg and arm, and rendering him unconscious for 8 months. By the time he wakes up, the war has ended, and so has El Sombra for the past 7 years.

Djego was afforded the best of medical care at the hospital in Venice. El Sombra was nowhere to be found.

His mask had been torn off in the explosion, along with some of the meat of his leg and arm. He walked stiffly, now, with a pronounced limp, and his left arm was all but useless, hanging limply at his side. The Wildcat crew had salvaged his sword, but Djego had little interest in using it.

Gradually, he regained his mobility. The back of his head itched constantly, and he suffered from horrendous mood swings, when he would rage against the Fuhrer and the bastards, or weep helplessly, like a child. But gradually, he found his personality stabilising in the gentle, antiseptic atmosphere of the hospital. He found that Djego - so long despised as a weakling, a coward and a fool - was capable of a kind of gentle, melancholic wit that made him popular.

Djego healed and grew, and the itch in the back of his skull began to subside, as El Sombra relinquished his grip.

Djego felt his heart seize in his chest. The cloth was missing a scrap at the end, and there was mud ground into the fabric along with the old bloodstains; but it had two evenly-spaced holes in it, and was unmistakably a mask. It seemed to be looking at him.

He takes up gardening and establishes himself in the city of Brandenberg, he becomes a fixture of the city and a friend of it, he enters a relationship, and El Sombra never appears again.

Until a mysterious stranger named Leonard Lorraine, walks through his door one day, saying he’s got a mission to fulfill, and hands him his mask. And, once again, El Sombra is simply stronger, and he makes the wrong choice again.

Djego shook his head and tried to step back from it, but his legs wouldn't move.

"No," he whispered. "No. Please"

"I was happy," pleaded Djego. "Doesn't that matter to you?" He picked up the cloth in trembling fingers, looking into the empty eyeholds. "Doesn't that mean anything?"

There was no answer. The patrons of the bierkeller did not even notice anything was happening.

"I was happy," Djego choked, and then, in one spasmodic motion, he pulled the mask onto his face, and secured it tightly, so that the knot once again rested in the back of his head, where it belonged: so tightly that it might never come off again.

El Sombra looked at his hands.

He prodded his belly, amused at the rounded shape of it, and took a couple of steps back from the bar. The limp was gone.

He laughed, very softly, so as not to disturb the patrons.

Djego and Lorraine walk through the desolate streets of Berlin, which in the years since has completely sealed itself from the outside world through an impossibly thick dome, and Djego discovers the city completely bereft of life, with only a few lobotomized robotic citizens aimlessly wandering and chewing on the mountains of corpses in the city, as their Nazi ideology reached it’s inevitable outcome of total annihilation of any and all that the party could find an excuse to slaughter in the name of purity, which eventually included it’s few remaining members. In this world, Hitler has been a brain inside a robotic contraption ever since 1945, and it’s amidst this scenario that El Sombra, while thinking about how his final confrontation with Hitler would play out, eventually finds what’s left of Hitler.

All around them, there were the sounds of machinery, but the Mecha-Fuhrer was completely silent, utterly motionless. In the centre of its chest rested a tank of toxic green fluid, and on the surface of the fluid, a human brain floated, like the corpse of a goldfish.

It was quite dead.

El Sombra stared at the Fuhrer for a long moment. Eventually, he spoke, and his voice was cracked and raw, and choked with rage. "Is...is this a joke?"

De Lareine smiled his terrible smile. "The Fuhrer's body needed a great deal of maintenance and repair, you know. After two years, one of the processes delivering oxygen to his brain failed...and there was nobody left to repair it. He died, slowly." There would have been some pain, at the end".

El Sombra slammed his fist into the great iron throne on which the massive body sat, shattering his knuckles and tearing the skin from them. He didn't seem to notice. "Some pain," he choked, through gritted teeth."

El Sombra was still staring into the empty, dead eyes of the Fuhrer.

El Sombra again chooses poorly. It’s this moment, above all else, that truly damns him to his fate, as we come to see what is it exactly that a persona created for the purpose of vengeance has, when said vengeance is robbed from it. Like Parker Crane, his persona crumbles completely to expose the petty, ugly little feelings that drove it to such grandstanding antics in the first place, and the allmighty El Sombra is exposed for the all-too human failings that damned him once and for all.

"This isn't right," he said, eventually, in a strangled voice. "How...how can it end like this?"

"Why shouldn't it?" De Lareine shrugged. "Here's a thought. Maybe, despite his twenty-year tantrum and all his dressing up, spoilt little Djego is not the centre of the universe -"

El Sombra turned, face red, tears streaming from his eyes, and charged at De Lareine, slashing his sword. El Sombra crashed down onto the floor, into the soot scattered about, as De Lareine walked around him.

"Did you really believe Adolf Hitler would wait around for your sword? Did you not imagine that it might be better for him to seal himself off in a hole to die, instead of murdering and enslaving continents until you finally got around to him? Did you think you were the hero of your own little story, El Sombra, with your mask and your laugh and your-"

"Shut up!" El Sombra cried out, scrambling to his feet, the sword shaking in his hand, tears and snot running down his face. "He was mine! He was mine to kill!" He lifted the sword, the tip trembling. "Bring him back," he screamed, "do you hear me? Bring him back to life!"

De Lareine had to laugh at that.

And in the end, El Sombra is crushed, spiritually and physically as his spine is shattered by Lareine, who begins to experiment on him as he lays dying, ready to fulfill fate’s greater purpose for El Sombra. Ready to become not just the perfect machine Pasito’s conquerors intended, but a superior design. Ready to abandon his former life, ready to abandon everything that defined him, ready to shed any and all traces of Zorro and Shadow and pulp hero in his system, because the age of pulp heroes and superheroes has passed.

The metal man emerged from his hole, dragging the corpse of the Fuhrer behind him.

The brain in the metal man's chest would, perhaps, live for thousands of years. He wondered how he would spend the time.

He remembered little of his former life; he had been a man named El Sombra, or perhaps Djego. He had been stupid - he realised that now - but that was something he would never be again.

Apart from that, there was only a succession of faces, the memory of laughter and of a final, awful betrayal that had destroyed him. But there was also the sense that a great and terrible mission had ended at last, and it was time for a new life to begin.

The metal man took a last look back at the great dome of Fortress Berlin. Somewhere in there, the Leopard Man was hunting, freed from his own mission. And in the Fuhrer's old office, the empty, lifeless clay of El Sombra - or was it Djego? - lay, discarded, like a butterfly's cocoon.

The metal man thought on this, as the Fuhrer rusted at his feet and the tanks began to approach from over the hills ahead.

He would need a new name.

It’s now the age of Pluto.

#replies tag #pulp heroes #al ewing #el sombra #pluto

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kidmachinate · 3 years

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Purpose?

My personality type consistently seeks purpose. When you combine this with rejection left and right in various ways over the years, it makes for one heck of a "...the fuck I am even here for" kinda mood.

I've decided over time, in part anyway, why exactly I want to be here and what I want to do. This leads however to the natural way of thinking along the lines of well...can't do all the things? No one can. Just like your value is seen or not seen, you have to decide what and who you see value in. How your time is spent. If we could only freeze time or go back in time. Perhaps we could have chosen differently. Perhaps past traumas wouldn't haunt us so. We can't go back. Only forward.

These decisions mean not begging anyone to stay or taking it personally if someone doesn't reach out all the time. It may not even be personal. It just is. I have a friend in which we always click about gaming but we don't talk like we used to. They think by mentioning the I don't hear from you unless I reach out thing will fix this. It won't. Some people I rather see in person than do the whole let's catch up over phone thing. It is easier to just do that than have some random ass phone conversation, as strange as that may seem.

Boundaries become easy when you know what you want. You can also tell when you're being blown off and just don't care. You've got more important things to worry about. Many of us are in trouble financially during these trying times, if you aren't...that is fantastic and a good sign of having it together enough to get by in this times or having planned ahead in case something like this did occur. Making it is enough, sure...but being in the negative means you've gotta pay back those dues eventually.

We may have roles we like to assign ourselves or think of ourselves as...but trying to find a purpose in everything leads to driving yourself nuts. Would not recommend. My personality type also has a huge problem taking my own advice. Part of living life with intent now is to try and correct just that. Because not everything needs a purpose, if for some reason things don't work out between you and whatever given person or situation, the attachment level isn't big and you can move onto the next thing.

I can see why people go poly but it just isn't for me. I've all the love to give but rather focus it. If I can't focus it, I'll spread it casually with intent and be alone. It is that easy now. Give 100% if it is right or don't go in at all. Sometimes, the mercy strike is given to a previous commitment, so neither has to suffer anymore. It is much harder to rebuild a torched bridge, after all.

The truth past all this that can definitely be viewed as super negative to some, is that many aspect are much better than they were from the last post on here. Making steps in the right direction. Embrace your individuality. There's only one you and you don't give someone else the power to take away that spark. No hollowing. You can turn to stone to deflect attacks though, if you'd like.

#purpose #late night thoughts #creativewriting #focus #intent

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sagebodisattva · 5 years

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Existential Nihilism

So when we talk about existential nihilism, we are addressing a fundamental core principle that underlies all of the seemingly different schools of nihilism. To me, honestly, despite the treatment I've given to these categories, I find it sort of silly and absurd that nihilism has been broken up and classified in a fragmented manner as such; as if the deconstruction of the various different inventory items of existence deserve their own distinctions. To me, this is the result of the work of non-nihilists; as, the true nihilist wouldn't have any such purpose for constructing these differentiations; the motivation, of such, being contrary to the very cause of nihilism in the first place.

The nihilist's mission is to uncover the truth of existence, and does so by means of stripping away all that is part of the facade, in order to reveal that which is rudimentary essence, aka the truth, or, the reality, and not illusion. We can draw the line of the true and the untrue at the event horizon of awareness. We are that, which precedes the event horizon of awareness. Beyond this horizon, is all collapsed wave function. It's hard to even begin to be able to realize and understand this line, because the attention is trained to not recognize it; to gloss over it with default oversight, the crux of the conditioning, and to remain stuck on the perceptibles.

And incidentally, this is the same kind of conditional lock that prevents one from realizing the nature of a dream whilst they are dreaming, which prevents lucidity and keeps the clarity of awareness in a fog, until after one has awoken. And I know that, even with this reference, not many have a experiential understanding of dream lucidity, but, even without such clarity, at the very least we can understand that a dream is not an actual reality, but a construct of an imagination. The dream experience is therefor an existential medium, hence, the only real reality is the awareness; which is the same again and again, in countless dreams. In other words, in the dream, what was real, was not the persona, the narrative, the perceptions, the feelings, other beings, animals or creatures, or even the world; it was always, and always will be, just the awareness.

And so, why is this common every day realization about the nature of dreams so difficult to carry over into the context of the so called “waking state?”, Because the attention is getting stuck on perceivables, and as such, the truth of reality becomes un-clarified. It's very hard to refocus the attention when its committed and heavily invested in identifications and associations, aka attachments. But let's look into these binding ties that anchor the awareness in the illusion.

We identify with the world, but the world does not make us what we are, as evidenced by the fact that we could feasibly be put into another world and still be the same person. So you are not the world or any environment.

So what about our thoughts, ideas and concepts? Are we our thinking minds? You have plenty of intellectual data in stored in your brain, but does any of it make you who you are, really? Some may argue that it does, but this is more conditioning, more identification by attachment. You could drop plenty of ideas and still be you. You could change your thoughts and still be you. You could rearrange, add or remove your concepts and still be you. So you are not your thoughts, ideas and concepts.

Maybe we are the perceptual senses? Everything we can speak about is the result of either sight smell hearing taste or touch, so perhaps our identities can be defined by perception? For those who identify as such, I strongly recommend sensory deprivation tanks. After some experience with these you will soon know first hand that you are not the senses, as also further evidenced by a blind man, or a deaf person. The adding or removal of any sensory instrument does not make us any more or less ourselves.

Ok, so what about our feelings and emotions? Do these solidify some kind of identity? How so, when again, feelings and emotions come and go, change, and fluctuate constantly, none of them ever remaining constant, and yet we still remain who we are throughout them all, so we are not our feelings and emotions.

What about our families, our names our ancestral lineage and bloodlines? Does this define us? This is yet another association. We would not still be who we are even if our family was removed? Would we become something else if we changed our name? If we woke up tomorrow in some other person's life on the other side of the world, would we not still be an individual? So we are not our families or lineage.

Then, of course, comes the physical body. Surely, if anything, we must be the physical body, no? How so exactly? If we removed your foot, would you still be you? What about your hand? Or your liver? Or your left buttock? If you are still you despite the removal of various body parts or organs, then obviously you cannot be the physical body either.

Then so, finally, what about the consciousness, aka the ego, or the persona? Without a doubt, this MUST be what we are. What else is left? The consciousness could be said to be the culmination of all the identifications and associations combined, what we sum up to be a self by adding the world, our thoughts, our perceptions, our emotions, our family history, and our physical bodies together. We call being aware of this confection the consciousness, but if none of the components of this culmination are a true self, then how could the amalgamation of these components be a true self either? By assuming such, we've only just made the ego that much more difficult to untangle. But untangling the persona is crucial to self recognition. And how is this done?

Deconstruction. Subtraction. Detachment. Reduction. Emptying. Nihilism. Destroying untruths, and tearing down false foundations.

When you have disassociated and un-identified with all of the false veneers, you will have arrived at that which could be called the true self; the actual reality, that, which is always so, that, which you are. Pure potentiality. This is the superpositional substratum upon which all distinctions of self awareness are produced. This is why, from this space of clear open awareness, it can be clearly known that, value, meaning and purpose, are existential, and not otherwise. And to further clarify existentiality, this means that these features are created aspects that only have a setting within the momentary facets of being. This is the truth of reality, and yet this truth is called nihilism. Why?

Because of the apparent disapproval of control freaks and dogma defenders, that don't want you to free yourself from your mind enslavement. People are so much easier to manipulate and command when they assume, in ignorance, that value, meaning, and purpose are pre-existing factors that one must find, and then adhere to. And don't worry, you won't have to look very far to find them; for there are plenty of leaches lined up, ready to usher you into a nice little role of subservient obedience; where you will be in the perfect position to be commanded, and used for the greedy selfish purposes of power hungry resource pigs. So fear not; if you are unwilling to create your own value, meaning and purpose, one will be happily supplied to you. If you find the notion of value meaning and purpose not being objective depressing, relax, one can be penetrated into you.

But, if you are one of the few among us that doesn't have a problem with the truth of existentiality, then know that your source is potentiality, your destination is potentiality, and whatever comes in between is completely up to you. You come from nothing, are headed towards nothing, so any value, meaning or purpose that arise, are going to be a result of your own directed action, duty, dedication, and responsibility. Meanings are not derived from theoretical philosophy, but a consequence of function and interaction. When it is said that value, meaning and purpose are not intrinsic or inherent, this is only true insomuch as it applies to value, meaning and purpose residing objectively. Value meaning and purpose are, in fact, inherent and intrinsic, but only so contextually; that is to say, relatively and subjectively so.

And I know why this prospect is daunting and undesirable to most people, for the realization that life is without meaning, purpose and value to be found pre-existing, means that, of itself, life is pretty absurd, and can be outright maddening; if one is searching for such engagements externally, which will often lead to angst and utter despondency in the face of the futility and pointlessness of it all. But it is only futile and pointless because you have invested in value judgements based on misplaced assumptions and erroneous conclusions. Drop them.

What other kind of validation do your values, meanings and purposes need, beyond your own commitment to them? For an atheist, I can't see where any of this causes an issue. If there is no god, then whereof would any of these aspects be derived? The only real people that this would seem to cause a problem for, would be theists. People that are obsessively worried about god, and the possibility that they wouldn't be serving and obeying him properly by not blindly following words in a book written by men of antiquity. What else could it be? I know, I know. You wanna be good and make it into heaven. How profoundly deep of you. But understand this: if you are good because of the promise of reward. or the threat of punishment, you are not good for the right reasons. There is no sky daddy out there to give a blowjob to, so get over it. Take responsibility for your own existence.

There doesn't need to be emotional anguish over the fact that there isn't any objective force out there supplying value, meaning and purpose. This agency is found within yourself, and can become a great wellspring of inspiration towards defining your own value, purpose and meaning. But, just keep in mind that creating your own value, purpose and meaning isn't an indication that your value, purpose and meaning are necessarily justified, and this is why we do need a very simple universal moral compass, despite morality also being a construct; it doesn't automatically follow that creating value purpose and meaning that victimizes other sentience is permissible. It isn't. This is why we shouldn't look past the importance of the existential agency of the entire nihilistic foundation, and understand that, in the face of paradoxical absurdity, it is up to you to define, and make of yourself, what you will; for no amount of external searching will amount to more then quiet desperation and frustrating futility; but, despite the lack of objective supplementation, creating your own intentions within nothingness isn't a license to violate another existential agency.

If you can figure out why this is, as it is an absolute moral distinction relative to sentience, that no existential consciousness wants to be victimized against their will, then you will have a less difficult journey ahead, and will be doing your part to bring peace and harmony to our shared existential paradigm.

#existentialism #existential #nihilism

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breakingmllc · 3 years

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Lancaster was watching all of this from above we then follow him inside the castleand down one of the hallways he enters his own chamberand closes the door behind him we see him begin to write a letter but we don’t know who he is writing that letter to in the final scene of the episode we see a small boy working outside in the snow with his father after watching them for a few moments the boy suddenly stops the father will ask him what’s wrong the boy will motion to the nearby forest it’s getting very dark outside so we don’t notice anything at first but then we begin to see blue eyes staring back at us before we know it there are hundreds of blue eyes moving through the woods the father tells the Sun run inside until the others a horn begins to blow as hundreds of whites begin to run straight for the father standing outside little met number who is followed by several soldiers begin to rush outside to defend the castle as hundreds of soldiers begin to rush outside the sound of a dragon begins to drown out the sound of the horns that were blowing one of the soldiers tries to get number to run back inside but it’s already too late thousands of whites led by white walkersand Giants are now just a few feet away thenand I King appears to the clouds adversary on begins unleashing his blue flame on the castle chaos erupts in every man womanand child begin to get butchered simultaneously the Seri Owens blue flame delivers a devastating blow that completely destroys the numbers in such strong numbers personal guard is butchered within seconds leaving him all alone on the field one of the white walkers approaches himand with one swift move he pierces his heart with the ice sword number falls as we see the making landing is Dragon we can now see there are almost 100 white walkers walking across the bloodsoaked battlefield every man womanand child lay slain at their feet we get a close up of the making as he raises his arms in the episodes goodand with us knowing what’s about to happen next the opening scene of the second episode will begin in the north I winter fell diverse get injuryand the remaining forces arrive at the main gate they agreed to stay behind what the ship so they can unload all the Dragon glass from Dragon Stone then escorted the winter fell they have about a dozen big wagons filled with Dragon glass most of the wagons are full of black obsidian but we can also see there is a wagon full of greenand red Dragon glass once again we can see ariaand Breanne outside training in the courtyard as the wagons are arriving at the main gate they are interrupted as all the wagons are being brought inside to the center of the courtyard this is one ariaand Gundry will notice each other from across the yard neither one of them can believe what they’re seeing because they never thought they would actually see each other again ariaand Gundry meet in the middle of the courtyard where they embrace each other for several moments with a big smile on her face aria says I cannot believe you’re here I did not trust that red which I thought she was taken you way to martyr youand Gundry says she wanted to sacrifice me this is when Gundry looks over at dominoes who is helping unload the wagons of Dragon glassand says I would not be alive if it were not for him then Gundry says thanks to the red woman I found out why the gold cloaks want to be so bad I am rubber breath he is best at son that’s why the gold cloaks wanted meand that’s why the red woman wanted me I have King’s blood aria looks down for a few momentsand then she says you know I wanted to kill the red which taken your way used to recite her name every night before I would fall asleep Gundry smiles than aria says if I ever see Millis under again before she could finish her sentence devastates her off as he walks overand says I will killer myself this will be a nice segue right into my next scene in the Lantus we see there is a large group of followers gathered right outside the rentable floor mullah Sondra can Varaand several other high ranking members are standing at the top of the steps overlooking the crowd this is when Millis under will say there is a darkness falling over West Roseand soon he could cover us all the Laura White has brought all of us here for one purposeand one purpose only to end the darkness can Vara walks forwardand says Millis under has already brought iceand fire together I believe the nurse tore Garyand is the one who will lead us through this darkness but Millis Andra says there is another then Millis Andra says I have already seen it in the flames whenever I look for the answers from our Lord of light all I can see a snow dinner star Gary has her own part of the play by John Snow will be the one who defeats the making can Vara says Prince or Princess it doesn’t matter mullah Sondra’s right the great other is here to bring the darkness to us all we must go to West Rose to help them all of us in the next scene we will go Castle black where we will see the aftermath of the attack from the Army of the dead Castle black is now in ruins but there are some survivors from that attack more commander added as well as 95 of the remaining members of the Knights watch her dad back on Darianand a few others are still alive we will see buried on Darian begin to burn all the whites with his flaming sword baritone Darian will then say he has to ride south right away he also says he made a promise to someone that he would see them again he has yet to surface final purpose if you remember at the end of season seven Barrick did say to another character they would meet again so we shall see now let’s go to another scene backand want to fill Brian Stark is sitting alone in the gods would next to the where witchery we can see that his hands are gripping the chair as his eyes are fluttering backand forth in his head then we will be thrust into a series of visions Brian Stark is having we see Jamie Lancaster taken office helmet during the first time we saw him arriving at winter fell we see net start statue in the Crips of one or fell we seeand hear the mad King sand bar in the mall we see the special wildfire underneath King’s Landing we see blue Dragon fire burning a castle that’s covered in snow we can see a bed covered in blood we see Brian Stark falling from the broken tower we see smoke rising from winter fell we see Millis Andra looking into the flames we see a black silhouette of someone standing on a battlefield holding a burning sort of their hand we can hear the sound of a baby crying inside of a tower then brain will see himself standing face to face with the makingand this immediately throws him out of the vision as we get closer to the endand then I can gets closer to one or fell their connectionand their powers will continue to grow strongerand stronger when Brian Stark looks up we see he is surrounded by John Devereaux’s the narrow signs of an aria they all want to know what brain has seen brand says everything I can see everything at first it was all fragments make it very hard to decipher what was past present or even future events now he knows brand says Castle black is gone along with its men the last hearth is gone along with all the numbers men then brain says I saw the making he knows were all here he will be here soon John tells everyone to meet him in the main hall brand grabs John by his arm right as he’s about to walk away brand says we need to speak soon it’s finally time you know the truth this gets the attention of the nurse in sans a are both wondering what brand meant by that everyone of importance is gathered inside the main hall winter fell John Snow informs every one of the recent attacks in the North by the making everyone in the room was silent John says Circe Lancaster has yet to send us any additional soldiers to fight the Army the dead with her without her they have to prepare for what’s to come they will need to reinforce all the walls of the castle they will needand I’ll Dragon glass weapons to every man womanand child I wonder fell John says the castle should not fall my father always said 500 men could hold winter fell against 10 000 if the castle should fall there are secret passageways below the ground that could help them escape from the north but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that then John holds up long call for everyone to see he says this sort is made of Valerian steel I have already defeated several white walkers with this sort they have control over the Army the deadand I King has control over them if we can take up the white walkers in the making we might be able to defeat the entire army I will go for as many white walkers as I can with long call but I’m gonna need your help this is one aria in Briand will stand up at the same time they both mentioned they also have Valerian steel weaponsand they will stand by John to help them defeat the white walkers in the making similarly stands up as well he informs John about his father sword heart Spain Sam also says he has been reading some of the old books I got from The Citadel he says he may have found some information that may be of interest Thierry Lancaster will shift in his seat he looks the same Owen says I would like to see those books as well as everyone begins to leave all the nurse tells John she would like to speak with him alone sans looks at the nurse suspiciously as does Thierry Lancaster Jonathan Erisman walk atop the castle overlooking the battlements the nurse wants to know when John’s good tell everyone about the relationship John doesn’t think that’s a good idea right now considering how many of the northern lordsand ladies still do not trust the nurse he doesn’t need anyone to lose focus or abandon their cause right before the Army the dead arrive they should wait until after the battle was over we can afford to lose anyone right now doesn’t like Circe sending us any of her soldiers we already lost the Knights watch in the numbers let’s discuss this again after the battle rages John begins walk away the nurse says wait there’s one more thing I spoke to Mr last night I told him I haven’t been feeling very well latelyand he decided to examine me to see what the issue could be John looks nervous he says is everything okay what’s the matter after a long silence the nurse says John I’m pregnant now let’s go to another scene Jamieand brought arrive at the twins the castle looks nearly abandoned now Jimmy says someone infiltrated their Castle killed Walter Frei in almost every other loyal man towels Friday brought notices that no one is guarding their bridge Jamie says if only Rob Stark would’ve found their bridge this way he will still be aliveand I would most likely be dead Bron slaps Jamie on the shoulderand says that only dreams came true when Jamieand Bron reached the castle doors they are greeted by several of the Frei daughters who are now in charge of the twins Jamie says we are now heading northand he needs to gather any soldiers or men that they have available there is a storm coming down from the walland everyone will die unless they follow him nor one of the Frei girl says queen Circe did not inform us of this why did we not receive a Raven Jamie says she sent me instead speaking associate minister we go back to King’s Landing in the next scene Circe Chi barnand the mountain are walking around the walls the right key Chi barn has men bring up the stashes a wildfire to place at each gate that enters the city along with many other locations no one will enter through any of the city gates without getting burned alive we can also see they are strategically setting up large blisters all around the city King’s Landing will not fall as easily as it did during season eight Circe says the nurse target areaand may have the larger army right now but we shall see how large that army years after the dead get there with them Circe vowels that the nurse will never step foot inside the red keep while she is still alive Circe also says even if we lose we have seen what fire does to the Army of the dead with the amount a wildfire we have I’m not concerned with anyone or anything taking over the city while I’m here now that I have the iron banks full support I may have one other surprise for our Dragon Queen the next scene takes place in the middle of the night feeling great joy in his small team a man land their boats on the shore the islandsand make their way up to the castle fee on his open sister you are is being kept captive their he wants to for your before your own eventually has or killed but to their surprise the iron islands are completely abandoned there is even anyone there guarding the castle Huron has taken every able bodied a fight with himand those who cannot fight were put to the blade you are is not there feelings were sphere has come true you’re a storm the silenceand in order to set her free feels you have to board that we could ship now let’s go to the next he this time we go to Dragon stone we can see Huron’s entire fleet is scattered around the island now that the nurse is taking all of her men north your own’s men along with the golden company were able to easily secure the castle for Circe Lancaster on board the silence we go down below we can see are a great joy she’s covered in bloodand looks like most of her hair’s been chopped off your own great joy enters the cabinand he begins laughing like a maniac right your space he informed sure that she’s not to make it off the ship aliveand he assures her that peons never to have the balls try to get her backand even if he did he’s gonna hang both of them from the front of the silence then he leans downand whispers tell me my sweet niece who is your king your doesn’t say a word but she does not break eye contact for a few moments it silent then your own begins laughing like a maniac againand you throw something that bounces off the artist face we soon find out why you’re hasn’t said a word Huron has Señora with her own tongue which he had chopped off almost immediately after her capture now we go back to one or fell were John the nurse brand Santeriaand in the May stirrer or looking over everything he took from The Citadel the when they can find out some more information about how to defeat the Nike Sam says he has several booksand scrolls about the long night the white walkersand the children of the forestand many others the only problem is he’s having trouble making sense of it all brand Stark says show me what you found then perhaps I can go backand have a look for myself Thierry Lancaster grabs one of the books that is already open this one has legends about the long nightand he begins to read aloud it has information about a legendary figure notices or a high who carried a burning sword called white bringer Thierryand looks over at Jonathan Arison says this reminds me of what Bella Sondra said to us on Dragon stone Milla Sondra said the prince who was promised will bring the dawn Sandy believes it could mean the prince or princess who will bring the dawn this is or a high figure sounds like a man brand Stark says old man used to tell me bedtime stories about a last hero who would lead the fight against the dead then the May Stark upsetand says well what do you suppose we find such a man with a magical burning sword Sam immediately looks over at John John says long calls Valerian steel but does not burn John looks over to Brandonand says we think this could mean brand says I need to go to the gods would in the final scene of the episode we will see a massive storm begin to roll in from the north everyone in the area begins to go indoors the location of the castle is revealed when we see the car Stark banners hanging by the main gate police car Stark is inside with a few of her household guards she sitting by the fire reading some of the messages the ravens brought in for the day she says word has arrived from winter fell castle black in the last horse no longer stand the mikingand the Army of the dead may be on the way to winter fell next they inform us that we should all get the winter fell as soon as we can they say we should prepare for the worst before she could finish telling Herman about the news from winter fell a sudden screamand the sound of a horn begin to echo through the castle police car Stark runs over to the window to have a look outside to see were the screen came from to her surprise she cannot see anything now it’s a complete white out from the storm then all of a sudden a thunderous screen comes from the clouds above the mikingand this area on suddenly appear through the storm the episodeand ends as a blue flame can be seen lighting up the night sky we now know house car Stark will also be added to the Army of the debt this episode will begin with us getting a glimpse of the aftermath of that attack there is smoke rising from a mound of stone which is where the castle once stood we can see that there are acresand acres of snow covered land soaked in blood there is also remnants of northern uniforms all over the ground as well as broken weapons this looks like your typical battlefield the only differences there are no dead bodies we know the miking has risen them all to fight in his armyand the most likely heading to winter fell which is where we will have our next scene back in winter fell we will see hundreds of northern man preparing the Starks Castle for the coming storm outside of the main gate of the castle we will see that make entrenches that appear to be a moat just like in season eight I want to enclose the castle in a ring of fire that will prevent the dead from entering winter fell I actually talked about this ideaand one of my videos before the final season came out were also can see hundreds of archers on standby all along the top of the wall of the castle all of their arrows are made of Dragon glass there is also to be barrels of these arrows all along the top of the castle walls as well down in the courtyard there are thousands of spears made up of Dragon glass to however great worm spear will look slightly different than the rest is will be made with the red Dragon glass were also good to see that Guidry has made himself a new hammer out of Dragon glassand there will be different spikes coming off the hammer each of the spikes will be made up of different color Dragon glass one black one redand one green John sans of ariaand ghost are walking around the courtyard overlooking all the work getting done to their home aria mentions how she came across nine Marriott 10 way to winter fell Orientals John I did want to come home with me but deep down I knew that she was meant to be free she hopes that one day she’s gonna be able to see her again as John looks over at ghost you can see that he is a sad look on his face realizing that ghost is the only dire Wolf left in the far north John talks about the day they were foundand how he told Ned they were meant to have them he also says as long as they’re alive there always can have a connection to one another no matter how much distances in between them this brings a smile Darius faceand John says even at times when himand ghost were separated he would always have a sense that he was still with themand aria says I have also felt that with my Marriott they are interrupted when one of the guards at the main gate begins to shout that a writer is approaching the castle baritone Darian has arrived from castle black berry looks like he’s about to collapse as John tells the guards opened the gateand allow him inside as soon as aria recognizes who it is she draws out her dagger Ari lets Barrick know right away that he is not welcomeand John looks somewhat confused aria says Barrick sold Gendron to Milla Sondra knowing full well that the right which wanted to sacrifice them baritone Darian will say kill me if you must but I’m here to play my part in the great war then Barrick looks at Johnand says the makingand the Army the dead will be here tonight the next scene is in King’s Landing begins with your own great joy greetings Ursula Elaine Mr Huron says I have completed every mission you have set upon me I have traveled the seas conquered your enemiesand even brought you the golden company Circe says you haven’t defeated all of my enemies but maybe this time you are rewarded your own smiles then the commander of the golden company greet Circe he talks about how good it feels to be in west ropes Circe reminds them not to get too comfortable they still have a war to win Gary Stricklandand wishes to speak to whoever commands Circe when Esther soldiers he wants to discuss their strategy Circe informs them that she is in the process of finding someone she can trust you can come in her latest are man or former commanderand brother has left the city for good she says he went to go join a straighter brother the best in the northand the foreign war with the dragons Circe then says about it doesn’t matter now I have everything I need right here Huron has a very big smile come across his face even though Circe wasn’t just talking about him we also see Circe notice the look on her Strickland’s face as the dragons were mentioned she can tell always very nervous about the dragons so Circe says what’s wrong are you afraid of dragons Terry says he wasn’t entirely sure they were even real resort about them for quite some time yet he has never seen them for himself afterwords you’re on gradually wishes to speak with Circe alone the scene ends a Circe says as you wish back in winter fell brand John Dinero Sam Terrienand the maced or are shown in the guards what Jerry Lancaster says there must be someone or something that has a connection to all the different legends about the long night as we saw the last episode the book about the long night talks of his or a high villa Sondra talks about the Prince was promised an old man used to speak of the last hero during her bedtime storiesand all these different stories it is said that these legendary figures I face the darknessand one Sam looks over at Brandonand says we need you to go backand see if there’s anything you can tell us about this man who was he held that he defeat the white walkers we need answers brand start will take a deep breath that his eyes will roll back in his head he’s about to see another series of visions sums can take place in the past some in the presentand even the future this time the very first thing he sees a black silhouette standing alone on a battlefield holding a burning red sword it’s very similar to his last vision of the shadowy figure only this time the man is standing face to face with an aching then Brendel see the same battlefield but now no one is thereand all the snow is gone brand Stark is walking across that battlefield that he sees a man face down in the water he can also see there are some red ruby scattered all across the water then he begins to see a crowd of people cheering there is a man mounted on a horseand he leans down in hand something to a girl who looks a lot like assessor aria then brain is at the wall there is a lot of blood covering the snow when brand looks into the blood he can see blue rose petals scattered throughout it soaking up the blood now brand is back at the tower of joy but this time he can see Leona is sitting up in the bed talking to a man with hair so blonde that it almost looks over brain knows its regularand he could hear him say our son has a songand it is the song of iceand fire Brandon sees a woman dressed in red with Harry’s right is a bleeding star it appears as if this woman is talking to someone brain can’t quite make out the man’s face it sounds like John’s voice but all he can see is a black silhouette with smoke rising from the sword then all of a sudden brain is back on the battlefield that is now covered in snow once again brain can see the figure that looks like a black silhouette with a burning sword clenched in his fist this time he standing face to face with the 19 right is brand sees the making take a step forward the black shadowy figure swings his sword as fast as lightning strikes when brand opens his eyes we can see that he is completely covered in sweat was steam coming off his body everyone else that’s in the guards what are silently staring at Brandon anxiously awaiting to find out what you seen Thierryand says are the legends real after a few moments of silence Sam says do you know what we need to do defeat that I King after a few more moments of silence brand finally says yes now it all makes sense I finally understand what the three a Raven was trying to show me Sam says what what is it the scene ends is brand looks over at John back in King’s Landing Circe’s amounts in your own great joy enter her private chambers Huron immediately says he wants the mountain to leave so they can speak alone Circe says don’t worry he won’t say a thing you’re on begins by telling Circe it’s time that he gets what is owed which we all know he wants Circe yourself you’re on then start bragging about how is a better man than Jamieand how Jamie will never become a back to Kings Landing unless his head is on a spike Circe does agree but she continues to play hard to get however Huron does eventually get Circe to start to soften up a bit Circe knows exactly what you’re on once but she tells them she’s already pregnant with Jamie’s child inside of her Huron says he doesn’t care she’s pregnant he says always ever wanted was to marry the most beautiful woman in the seven kingdoms which is why is here he’s a king who deserves to have a queen at his side they should rule Westerners togetherand he also says he’s never gonna betray her or abandon herand a time of need Circe does enjoy the attention she’s getting from him but she isn’t quite ready to just hand over the keys to her kingdom she does however assure him that he will get everything he wants in due time Circe then motions for the mountain to step outside Circe closes the door behind him then take Huron by the handand walks them over to the bad in the next scene we go back to winter fell were received John push in brand across the courtyard brand says it’s time that himand John go speak alone they begin to make their way to the cups of water fell but then they notice some of the guards shouting down from atop the castle wall one of the guards yells to Johnand says there are more riders approaching the main gate this time there are hundredsand maybe even thousands once again Branson have to wait to talk to John before John could even ask is approaching some of the guards begin to pick up their weaponsand drawback their boats he can hear everyone shouting this sends everyone in the courtyard into a frenzy then we begin to hear some of the guards shouting the word King slayer with many other curse words to follow Jamie Braunand the soldiers they were able to gather has finally arrived they were able to find roughly 1000 men who were still scattered throughout the river lands Jerryand does seem to be surprise the Jamie’s in winter fell not wearing the Lancaster colors he also notices none of the men with them are from the latest Army something has obviously gone wrong Jamieand Bronner greeted was zero courtesy sans wants to know what the hell is happening wise Jamie here was soldiers from house spray the Northerners are very angry some of which you are still shouting King slayer the North remembers etc. Requiring kids to wear masks in any public place like schools and stores you are taking their one and perhaps only hope of being found if taking their face and the image that she was referring to is right here these kids they all got masks on her face on a phases and you can tell sodas and truth that shit is truth that you penalize the grammar I can’t really let you are because I’m stream in your streaming live on YouTube to so if you want to see the slideshow to get over to you to set my citizen and channel and you actually see the images and on putting up so sorry about than anybody else on his grand I want to watch this get over you to citizenmanYouTube See Other related products: Coronavirus and face masks

#Trending #Don't #Ever #Be #Afraid #To #Show #Off #Your #True #Colors

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What Harry Meghan mean they don't want to be 'senior royals' anymore?

If you weren't familiar with the British term "gobsmacking" before, now you may get an idea of what it means after digesting the astonishing news that Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan of Sussex have decided they are not going to be "senior royals" anymore. On Wednesday, they issued a "personal message" announcing they are stepping back from their roles as senior members of the British royal family, they're working on becoming "financially independent," and they're planning to split their time between North America and the United Kingdom. Then, an hour after that came another statement from the palace, this one from the office of the private secretary and communications director for Queen Elizabeth II, Harry's grandmother. It suggested some in the palace were not amused. "We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through," the statement said carefully. Translation: Not so fast, Your Royal Highnesses. By now, Americans unfamiliar with Brit-speak or the ins-and-outs of royal doings might be wondering: What? Have they quit being royals? Can they do that? And why would they?

Sally Bedell Smith, the acclaimed American biographer of the queen and of Harry's mother, the late Princess Diana, says it appears from these statements that Harry and Meghan have acted on their own and without consulting anyone in the royal family. "You would think that Harry would know that you can't just go off and make decisions without taking advice," Smith said. "For them to have cooked this up all by themselves – I think is a real violation of the way the royal family is supposed to operate. " "We are in unprecedented waters," says British royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams. "It is extraordinary. What the hell is going on? What do they want to do? This is trouble!" As Smith says, careful parsing of the Sussex statement produces more head-scratching than insight. Here are the salient sentences: “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen."

Have they quit being royal?

No. Even Edward VIII, the king who abdicated in 1936, was still a royal Duke of Windsor afterwards and still a member of the family, even though there was little love lost between them. A "senior" royal means someone close to the queen and high up in the succession. Harry is currently sixth in line. He will still be both those things despite his plans. Bottom line: They'll still be royals but they don't want to work like royals, or not as much anymore.

Have they retired, like grandfather Prince Philip?

Not really. The Duke of Edinburgh is 98 and he's earned his retirement. Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, seem to be saying they're not going to be doing their usual round of royal engagements but they haven't explained exactly what they'll be doing instead or whether they will do a combination of things, and how that would work.

What do they mean by "financially independent"?

Are they going to get jobs and if so, what kind? Will the former Meghan Markle go back to acting? Will they spend all their time raising money for charity? "This creates an awful lot of problems because they seem to be setting up a situation of one foot in the royal family and one foot in some undescribed private enterprise they’re setting up through a non-profit, which will require them to raise a lot of money," Smith says. "But the cachet for that comes from being senior members of the royal family...the logic of all this seems muddy."

Who supports them financially?

According to their Sussex Royal website, they will no longer take money from the British taxpayers through the Sovereign Grant that supports the queen and senior royals for their public duties. The Sussex office expenses are covered by the grant, amounting to 5% of their total costs. They "prefer to release this financial tie." Harry's father, Prince Charles, has supported their private life and 95% of their office through his deep-pocketed Duchy of Cornwall income, which apparently will continue. But they won't be skint: Meghan made plenty of money as an actress on "Suits," and Harry inherited a considerable amount of money from his mother which has likely grown since 1997. "We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honor our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity."

What happens to Frogmore Cottage, their newly renovated Windsor home?

Frogmore Cottage will continue to be the property of the queen, the Sussex website says. They will continue to use it as their official residence "so that their family will always have a place to call home in the United Kingdom." In a rebuke of media criticism, the newly-updated Sussex website explained the renovation of Frogmore was funded by the queen through the Sovereign Grant, "reflecting the monarchy’s responsibility to maintain the upkeep of buildings with historical significance." It was already under renovation when the queen offered its use to them and the renovations cost half what they would have spent if they had moved into the originally suggested official residence at Kensington Palace.

How can they live both in the U.K. and in, say, Canada or America?

The climate-damaging flying requirement seems daunting at best. "This really is extraordinary as it will raise issues such as security costs," Fitzwilliams says. (Security for the Sussexes is required by law, as they are classified as internationally protected individuals and the British government never discusses security issues for royals.) What about the media scrutiny they so despise in the U.K? It's hardly likely to be better over here. But Harry and Meghan's relationship started under wraps and remained so for more than a year of dating, so they've demonstrated they can elude the paparazzi when they want to. They spent at least some of their year-end time-off period in Canada and were only spotted by a local paper on Vancouver Island at the very end. "I don’t see them living in some sort of modest home in Laguna Beach," Smith said. "Maybe they had a total transforming revelation while they were off for six weeks and decided they want to live in the wilderness."

Is there a positive aspect to this announcement?

For Americans maybe it's this: We might get to see the Sussexes' 8-month-old baby, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, more often in America. Unless they plan to spend most of their time in Canada.

What happens next?

"We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”

Given that the queen and Prince Charles may have been as much in the dark as the rest of us, it's likely that what happens next is a lot of meetings at the palace, and more careful statements "explaining" matters. Meanwhile, outside the palace, royal fans are puzzled, anti-monarchy forces are gleeful, and a media maelstrom may be building. Already, one of their best-known critics, ex-tabloid-editor-turned-morning-TV-host Piers Morgan, is tweeting his contempt. "People say I'm too critical of Meghan Markle - but she ditched her family, ditched her Dad, ditched most of her old friends, split Harry from William & has now split him from the Royal Family. I rest my case." Smith predicts that Meghan will take all the blame for this decision, causing further damage to her already-shaky relations with the media, a crucial factor in the continued stability and popularity of the monarchy. "It's a delusion that they can escape the media (in North America)," Smith says. "There's even less protection in this new hybrid existence. This is having your cake and eating it, too, and that doesn’t end well usually."

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