i just watched the shameless season final and it left me super emotional! carl’s outburst of self-doubt? heartbreaking. debbie prioritizing carl’s needs? heartbreaking. ian and fiona’s goodbye scene, with ian providing emotional support and reassurance? heartbreaking. fiona’s quiet departure to somewhere closer to the equator? heartbreaking.
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I’m Not Done Talking About Ian and Mickey
I have finally had time to digest season 10, and by digest I mean watch Gallavich scenes over and over and over and re-read fics from seasons 2-7 and generally stare at them fighting in prison and slow dancing at their wedding. Looking back now, I definitely enjoyed the season even if I wish that we had gotten more and/or different things. Rather than post one long treatise on every thought I had about the season, I decided to distract myself from the hiatus by posting lots of things and I would love to read everyone else’s thoughts too!
I’m going to start with my favorite scenes of the season and I realize that they are a little Ian heavy. I think that’s because Ian had the most to prove this season and if Cam didn’t sell Ian’s love for Mickey then everything else wouldn’t have mattered. We have known how Mickey feels for years and we really needed to see Ian rise to that level and I think he did. He was on the verge of tears in every other episode and his “redemption” (I HATE THAT I WROTE THAT!!) was the biggest success of the season, at least for me.
Top 5 scenes:
1. 10x3 Mutual ILYs - I go back and forth constantly but for now I think that this is my favorite scene of the season. Partly because it was the beginning of the Emotional Ian arc which lasted almost the entire season and we needed it. This scene really started them off on the right foot and was a prelude for things to come. This episode definitely had funny parts (I will never tire of Dork!Ian trying to be cool), and that Love is Love prison was a bit ridiculous, but seeing Ian potentially sacrifice something for Mickey was worth it. We saw glimpses of Old Ian in 10x2, but he really emerged in this scene. On the verge of tears and vibrating with emotion, he finally says what we all know - that Mickey is it for him and he wants to be with him wherever he is. And of course Mickey is there, acknowledging Ian’s love and generally being the most selfless partner ever.
2. The Debbie/Ian/Mickey scene in 10x12. I just loved this scene so much. The actors have such natural chemistry and Debbie was so soft and it made me very nostalgic for old Debbie and for Monica. And then the way that Ian clung to Mickey during the dance...ugh. And I was not even pro-dance before that. Shame on me.
3. The tux tying scene. THIS is what I had hoped to see all season. Just a real, straightforward scene of them talking about their future in a way that was perfectly them. Of course Ian wants kids with Mickey, of course Mickey will try to make that happen. The way they stared at each other, the way that they talked softly to one another and then gave each other shit. Perfection.
4. I’m going to cheat and combine the Lip/Ian scene and the Mickey/Ian scene in 10x9. The crutches going in and out of frame was hilarious and I really missed the Ian/Lip dynamic. I loved Lip saying that Ian should marry Mickey and I loved that Lip truly knows his brother. And although it borders on too little/too late, I just so appreciate the fact that the show revisited Ian’s feelings about himself and his worthiness due to his bipolar. Ian has been lost since the beginning of season six and its about fucking time that the show acknowledged that fact and acknowledged that Mickey is what brings him back to himself. We know it, Mickey knows it and every single Gallagher knows it. I wish that it had been explored sooo much more in depth but I can say that about pretty much everything. This scene was the culmination of a season’s worth of Ian trying to talk to Mickey about his issues, their relationship and his feelings. I loved it.
5. The elevator/stairs scene of 10x8. This was Noel’s best scene this season, in my opinion. I felt every ounce of hurt, betrayal, embarrassment and disappointment and the way that Noel was able to reveal the layers of history in those moments were incredible. As much as it pains me to say, I found some of Mickey’s scenes to be somewhat “off” this season. Some was blatantly the writing (Mickey isn’t stupid you assholes), and I’m not sure if some of it was the direction or Noel just being rusty where Mickey is concerned but this scene was classic Noel/Mickey and it literally made my heart race.
I feel like I could add five more to these easily but I’ll leave it at that. I’m curious to see how my favorites compare to everyone else’s so please feel free to share! We’ve got awhile until season 11 unfortunately.
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Do you also think this is the worst season for gallavich ever? I think I even like the mexico border season better lol, the couple seems so out of chemistry this time around, and every cute moment feels like fan service, it doesn't feel genuine for the characthers like it used to... Idk is it just me?
I don't think it's just you at all, but I think for most fans there is a tendency in these types of scenarios (where we've been fucked over so much and deprived of the characters for so long) to try and accentuate the positive, because any new content is (arguably) a good thing. So the people who want the positive to outweigh the negative are more vocal and the most unhinged grumbling goes on in private messages.
I honestly can't tell you what the worst season for the pairing is. There's always been something (or a few things) every season that holds them back, whether it was actual good drama or not, the lack of screen time was always a factor. Long periods of either Noel or Cam missing. Etc. But there was some consistency in characterization up until the dreaded ep 512. The pivotal episode not only for gallavich, but Shameless as a whole. It became nearly unwatchable after that, because no character was in a satisfying place in their development, and the storylines (of which there had previously been some bad ones) got increasingly horrible.
To be fair, I did stop watching in early s6. I just had no interest anymore, and not even the actors still doing a good job could hook me into anything happening. I read synopses and skimmed reviews when the show was airing, but that's it.
I hated the writing for IxM in s7 too. Small tweaks could've made their whole Mexico storyline alright, but that was where we could plainly see that they were really sticking to their guns in the way they regressed Mickey as shown in that shitty prison visit in 601 (there was even a deleted scene with Mickey about to bang a rando in jail after he got back to his cell when Ian left, lol). They said fuck that character plain as day when they showed that insultingly crude and misspelled 'Ian Galager' tattoo on Mickey's chest festering with infection and Ian saying he had to be paid to see him.
Anyway, is this the worst written season that they're actually featured in? Maybe. I literally haven't even seen 1 single ep from s8. Who is she? Lol, but my larger point is that this fandom was built on a relationship that always had flawed writing, unfair editing, and minimized screen time. Both IxM always somehow got the short end of the stick. We rallied around them because situationally, their falling in love was so compelling and unique and easy to root for. Two adolescent boys trying to figure out how to be gay, and have sex, and be in a relationship, and genuinely care for someone else despite all odds, in a toxic environment meant to thwart them fully realizing who they were and living freely? You can't resist that. That's a classic underdog story, with the added bonus of the "bad guy with a heart of gold falling for the persistent 'one and only' sunshine boy who somehow just gets them" dynamic thrown in.
Up through 511, both Ian and Mickey had satisfying character arcs, with the most compelling and drastic being Mickey's obviously. Had the final scene in 512 on the porch and after played out the way it seemed to be pointing before the 180 of IxM breaking up, that could've been a great ending for their entire storyline together. Love is declared, they get an apartment together, say no more. But now they have to go and try to undo literal years of having Mickey off screen (and Ian doing really stupid shit and having boring relationships with no chemistry) within the span of like what... 8 or 9 episodes with between 8-12 minutes of screentime total for both characters??? Mayyyybe good writers could bring the magic back and turn it all around in that amount of time, but as we can see from what we've gotten so far, it's the hackiest most uninventive writing room working in cable television.
If Cam and Noel's chemistry feels stilted, I think it's because of what they're being forced to portray on screen. They're doing what they can with what they're dictated by the script. Had they written s10 differently, we could be singing a completely different tune right now.
So, they clearly can't accomplish any truly dramatic beats anymore, and the comedy is just not funny anymore. So what's that leave us with? A show that's awkwardly painful to watch. Even when you're literally only picking and choosing to watch the scenes your fave characters are in.
I don't know what else to say about it. Lol. I think we all get it.
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Shameless really had to scour the history books to come up with the reason I guess they’ve landed on for Ian’s marriage issues.
It would’ve made a lot more sense if they had brought them up in S6, but, no, Mickey was gone by then and Ian was about to experience actual love for the first time in his life-or so the show wanted us to believe. And that’s why I have to call bullshit on Ian seemingly suddenly not thinking he’s deserving of love. Once he got on his meds, he strode bravely into relationships with Faileb and Trash without batting an eye. (And yes, one could argue those were “bad” relationships a person who knows they are worthy of love would’ve avoided-but that was never the show’s point of view. They literally thought each of those partners were huge upgrades from Mickey, and that they would provide Ian with healthy relationships, something other than “war and sex”, which is what they tried to reduce Mickey to.) Think back to when Ian pursued Trash FOR MONTHS-he never once said, “Maybe Trash doesn’t want me because I’m unlovable.”
And that they randomly brought up Ian’s medical condition after all this time as a big part of the “reason” didn’t set well at all. Myles’ AV Club review sums it up beautifully: “I don’t want to dwell too much on this, but I have long argued that the show has fundamentally mishandled Ian’s disorder by refusing to acknowledge how it would impact his day-to-day life. When I asked showrunner Nancy Pimental about this back in 2016, the answer was basically that they didn’t think people wanted to see Ian “popping medications all the time,” but I’d argue that it makes any stories they do want to tell about his bipolar disorder weaker. If they just put in a small amount of legwork discussing his disorder—a mention of a doctor’s appointment, a scene of him picking up a prescription—it would make it less like the show is just circling back to his disorder when it’s convenient for the story. The idea that Ian had to search so deeply to realize that it was his bipolar disorder that was creating his reluctance to marry Mickey (or anyone) implies that even he doesn’t have it at the front of his mind, and while perhaps that’s a defense mechanism the show has set the issue aside too long for that to be articulated. I’m happy the show is finally bringing it back to the surface, and Ian and Mickey’s eventual reconciliation will be better for it, but it doesn’t change the mistakes made along the way.”
Could Ian’s bipolar disorder be part-or even the cause-of his issues about marriage? Absolutely. Has the show done anything before tonight, other than the Season 5 finale, to indicate this? Absolutely not.
Plus, within the episode itself, Ian acts as if Mickey’s the one who has a problem, not him. He tells the assembled family members that Mickey “will work it out of his system” (with Byron) and then be ready to talk things out, so...
Anyway, to go back to the beginning of the episode-if online friends and others hadn’t pointed out that Ian was thinking of Mickey here
it never would’ve occurred to me that he was. I’ve never seen Mickey in that bed-and I haven’t seen Mickey and Ian in bed together in YEARS. Prison bunks don’t count-and even if they did-Mickey bucked him out of there so fast in their first episode this season it couldn’t have counted anyway.
And that brings me to something that also bothers me about the entire way they’re handling this marriage problem of Ian’s-we haven’t seen Mickey and Ian interact in any meaningful way since they got out of prison. The writers have been hellbent on throwing even more obstacles in their path at every turn-which, I get, yes, that’s a big part of storytelling. But these guys have all the traps with none of the downtime to relax and recover together-and to let the audience see what’s going on while catching their breath. They cut the scenes where it was just two of them in the same room, talking about what we’ll never know because they were CUT.
These two have had enough angst-if the show really wanted us to believe the logical destination for them was down the wedding aisle, why not give us a season of them growing together instead of tearing them apart again? They were in prison living right on top of each other-couldn’t the comedy have come from them getting out and sticking just as close, even when they didn’t have to? Couldn’t we have had scenes of them sitting together on the couch, Mickey drowsing while Ian’s watching some dumb reality dating show Mickey has no interest in, but he’s there because Ian’s there and they both like feeling the warmth their bodies generate merely by being close? Couldn’t we have them talking in bed, long into the night-Ian asking Mickey to remind him to get a renewal for his prescription; Mickey having an “oh crap” moment when he’s telling Ian how he spilled his Orange Julius on his (cute) khaki shorts and remembers at 2 in the morning that the other pair is in the laundry and Ian tells him it’s fine, he washed them with his own clothes and even ironed them and they’re hanging in the closet? Have Ian find a You Tube video about making a recipe that tastes “just like” Kentucky Fried Chicken at home to save money, so Mickey’s hanging out in the kitchen while Ian’s attempting to make it with disastrous results and they wind up with Mickey calmly putting the big lid from the spaghetti pot over the grease fire Ian starts in the frying pan and telling Ian he’ll spring for the twenty bucks to get a bucket of extra crispy for their supper? Couldn’t we have just had that interspersed with actually discussions about what they’re feeling or going through? The show, via up till now unknown Sandy, tried to convince us it was giving us domestic Gallavich-why didn’t they just write it?
Anyway, I did like the fact that Ian had to wake up, put some clothes on, put his boot on, get himself down the stairs and Mickey was STILL pretending to kiss Byron behind his big honeydew melon helmet after all that implied time passed for Ian to do all that shit with his injury ;) Mickey is nothing if not fully committed to making sure Ian knows what he’s missing out on.
Mickey packing up his shit and telling Ian “when you know, you know” was to me equal parts funny and frustrating because it was like he was telling Ian A: Mickey knows how he feels about Ian and B: Ian should know how he feels about Mickey by now-but he clearly doesn’t. I thought having Mickey say Byron might be a Koch was a weird choice-I don’t think either Mickey or Ian (and most of the show’s target audience) would know that would mean his family-it it’s THOSE Kochs-are rich af, and if the show wanted to argue Mickey thought it meant his heir to the Coca-Cola fortune or that they somehow hold a patent on cocaine they can drop fucking dead. And the stretch to try to make the joke about Byron studying something from Britain vs “English” was painful.
And flashing back to S6 yet again, the show had Ian belittle Mickey twice-first by saying his emotional IQ is lower than Carl’s actual IQ (and, again, by the end of the show we’re supposed to think it’s Ian who is emotionally blocked, but how are we supposed to believe it or have sympathy when he was mocking Mickey-who is actually quite open with Ian when it comes to his emotions), and then secondly by claiming that Mickey has freakishly small hands. Well, Ian, you have a freakishly large head, and it doesn’t seem to dwarf Mickey’s mitts:
The scene with Debbie didn’t enrage me for once, and I was shocked. But I was glad she told him to marry Mickey to make him happy-but again in that scene Ian was searching for a reason after the fact to justify his still even a mystery to him reluctance to marry.
The scene with Lip was the best one they’re probably going to have for quite a while, maybe ever at the rate the show is going, but again, violent flashbacks to Ian’s Faileb/Trash days when he said “Debbie told me to” (marry Mickey). Remember those lost seasons where he did anything those bozos told him to and never stood up for himself? And also, if the show wasn’t wasting so much time with scenes of Frank tied to a bed and Debbie grooming an under-aged girl, Lip and Ian could’ve talked further, maybe delved into what Lip suggests Ian figure out for himself someday. If we could actually see Ian trying to get to the root of the problem, maybe it wouldn’t feel like the white board didn’t just say something like: Mickey/Ian break up-bipolar???
Their last scene of the episode had a lot of good stuff in it, even if ultimately it just broke down in the end with the lazy writing. Ian shoving the ring at Mickey and Mickey being let down by finding out not only is Ian not trying a little too late to salvage the engagement, but he’s making some lame “promise” and claims Gallaghers don’t break their promises-how can he say that to Mickey of all people? Name one promise Ian KEPT to Mickey! Noel, as always, plays out so much emotion without saying a word, and the heartbreak is palpable. And when he says Ian is saying he doesn’t love him enough? Noel! He makes it all so real. And we’re not let off the hook yet. But Mickey calling Byron by the wrong name, Ian pointing it out, and Mickey countering with he answers to whatever the fuck I call him was a nice throwback to the days of Mickey’s refusal to use Ian’s first name AND all the nicknames he came up with from Fire Crotch to Sleepy Face and Mumbles and almost makes me believe that the writer of the week maybe bothered watching at least the Gallavich scenes videos on You Tube. Almost. I’m more ready to believe Noel improvised that line in there himself ;)
We then get the reuse/recycle scene of Ian saying how there’s so much wrong with him and how he doesn’t know himself from one day to the next (so, again, would’ve been nice if there had been evidence of him feeling that way/dealing with it before last night), when he says to Mickey “how do you know that’s who you want to spend the rest of your life with?” I thought Mickey’s answer of “Jesus Christ, Ian” was perfect. He wasn’t going to stand there and give Ian a list of the many, many times he’s proven his love for Ian or try to coddle Ian and kiss him to try to make it better. Mickey’s finally figured out it’s up to Ian to either believe in Mickey’s mighty love or not, but Mickey’s done trying to sell it. Mickey’s gotta be so tired of all this-all along he’s done what Ian wants, even back when it was putting his own safety in jeopardy (another thing that I hate about the Terry retcon-remember when he was yelling his head off in the background when Mickey told Ian he’d meet him at the store in twenty, even tho it wasn’t a good time? Ever since that day, Mickey has always done everything in his power to give Ian what Ian thought he needed or wanted from Mickey).
Anyway, maybe I’m just a bear of very little imagination, but I honestly don’t see that they’re going to write anything that wraps up all this “tension” and Ian’s inability to commit well. By the end of the episode, I was picturing that they’ll have Mickey and Ian do a non-singing version of the Elephant Love Medley from Moulin Rouge to get Ian over his qualms about marriage. It fits in perfectly with the writers stealing from other stories, plus the whole thing is 4 minutes, which is considered a long scene for IxM these days.
The last we see of Ian, he takes a little detour to piss in the Vespa’s tank, and so now we’ve had two scenes of Paula getting at Ian’s junk, one of the Vespa with it, one scene of Mickey’s cousin grabbing Mickey’s dick, while that scene with the mayonnaise lube was the one and only time Ian and Mickey have come close to each other’s genitals/having sex all season. For all we know, they haven’t had it since-especially since Mickey had that telling line of getting bitchy when nothing’s been up his ass for a while...
(Gif credits: Ian and pillow-sickness-health-all-that-shit, Club kiss-mickeygifs)
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Shameless 9x14 “Found” Review
It’s the end of an era, Shameless fans. After nine hilarious, gut-punching, heart-wrenching seasons, Emmy Rossum has left the show for good. For the past eight years, her portrayal of the eldest Gallagher daughter has left viewers in fits of laughter, fits of tears, and everything in between. In her send off episode, she reminds us and her siblings just how much she will be missed.
In her penultimate episode, Fiona came into a large sum of money, $100,000 to be exact. Just as she had accepted her fate and gotten a job at the local gas station working nights, she was lifted from rock bottom and given the chance to start anew. So now, she must decide what she wants her future to look like. This is understandably difficult for Fiona because, well, she’s never really had that choice before.
She decides not to tell any of her siblings at first, but observes what their lives would look like without her in it. She’s raised each of them as best she could, and as she watches them get ready for their day the next morning, she realizes she’s done a better job than she ever knew. As nice as this is, it’s a bit of a gut punch when she begins to see that they don’t need her anymore. Debbie even asks if they can switch rooms so that she has more space for her and Franny, and asks Fiona what her future plans are. It’s as if they’re giving her a reason to leave without even knowing it.
And then there’s Lip, who kicked Fiona out of the house a few episodes back. While Fiona has cleaned her act up and gotten Lip off her back, it’s likely that his threat still lingers in her mind. It’s not just about if Fiona is needed in the Gallagher house, but does anyone want her there anymore?
As Fiona tries to decide what to do, the rest of the gang are up to their own shenanigans. Frank has been released from the hospital and is camping out on the couch. He needs around the clock care and complains relentlessly about need more Oxy, causing the family to consider dumping him under a bridge. Realizing they could get in serious legal trouble for that, given Frank’s age and poor health, they instead discuss getting him a caretaker. After all, their lives are too busy to be dealing with Frank, of all people.
Across town, Fiona’s hearing actually goes well. Her public defender tells her she must pay a few thousand dollars in fines, which she definitely has now. While out, she goes to visit Ian in prison to ask for his advice. After telling him she’s thinking about leaving, going someplace warm, he tells her to do it, that he’ll always be there for her. Fiona is a bit taken aback, but takes her brother’s words to heart. She knows she can’t stay in the Southside forever.
Ian also briefly mentions what’s going on in his life, how he’s working in the infirmary, got lice, and, oh yeah, is bunking with none other than Mickey Milkovich who works in the laundry room (Is anyone else getting serious Alex Vause vibes?).
Fiona supports her brother, and it’s clear that he supports her too. It seems like this is just what she needed — to be really, truly heard. And perhaps because Ian has spent some time away from his family, he knows how trapped one can feel in the Gallagher house. So with that, Fiona’s mind is made up.
While Fiona plans to distance herself from her siblings, Debbie and Carl grow closer. After butting heads over Kelly and both having their hearts broken by her, they bond (and vandalize her truck). So when Carl accepts a job as the manager of a nearby Captain Bob’s location, Debbie refuses to let him give up on military school. Unable to get through to him, she calls in Kelly for help, blaming her for her brother’s sudden lack of confidence. Together, the pair are able to snap Carl out of it. And after a brief time apart, Kelly and Carl get back together.
Continuing her maternal streak, Debbie goes to get Liam and bring him home. When she finds him at his friend’s house, he reminds her that he asked the whole family the previous night if he could move in, and they said yes. Liam, not willing to be ignored anymore, gives Debbie a list of demands the Gallaghers must meet if they want him back in the house. Most notably, he wants to be surrounded by black culture, which he feels he’s been robbed of living in an entirely white household.
Across town, Lip once again goes on a wild goose chase when Tammi’s BRCA test comes back positive. She has the “baby good” kind, leading us to assume she’ll want to have the baby, but Tammi is hesitant to bring a child into the world when she knows she may still die of cancer at a young age. While Lip tries to tell her he’ll stick around, Tammi refuses to believe he’ll be a good father. She jumps back and forth between decisions about the unborn baby’s fate, first wanting to have an abortion, then deciding she’ll have the baby, then opting to put it up for adoption. In the end, we’re left wondering right alongside Lip what she’s going to do.
When Lip finally gets home, he finds Fiona packing her stuff. She reveals to him that she’s leaving and asks that he take care of everyone for her, metaphorically passing the baton. Lip agrees but insists they throw her a going away party. Fiona knows that if she stays for the party, she’ll never leave. And so, when everyone has left the house again, she sneaks out to the train station and then onto a plane, bags in tow. The scene beautifully parallels the Season 1 finale, in which Fiona almost left Chicago with then boyfriend Jimmy/Steve. The only difference is that this time, she goes through with it (and sadly, Jimmy/Steve is nowhere to be found).
Back at the house, the party goes on. As everyone drinks and dances, celebrating Fiona and the role she had in their lives, Debbie finds an envelope stuck to the fridge. In it is $50,000, half of the money Max gave Fiona, and a note that simply reads, “Love you.” And Veronica says it best when she reminds Debbie, “Yeah, she does.”
Looking back at this season, I realize I expected it to be like the earlier seasons — more outrageous, more dramatic. What I failed to realize is that Shameless can never be what it once was because the characters are no longer the same. They’re still Gallaghers at heart, yes, but they’re adults now and while they’re the same people, they aren’t the same family.
I think we started to see this shift in dynamics when Ian, played by Cameron Monaghan, went to prison and was no longer a regular on the show. He was barely mentioned by his siblings, and it seemed as if his sentencing had little to no effect on them — because it didn’t. I’m not saying that the Gallaghers are inherently selfish people, but they have their own separate lives. If it wasn’t for their monetary hardships, I think they’d all be living on their own right now, not in a shared house. As Fiona realized in this episode, they just don’t need each other anymore.
However, this doesn’t take away my frustration with the way Fiona has been treated for the entire second half of this season. Because in this episode alone, Debbie noticed Carl getting down on himself and refused to let him be upset for more than a day. And mind you, Carl was going through heartbreak, not being cheated on, cut out of a huge business deal, and a sudden alcohol dependency. The more I think about it, I feel like Fiona turned to alcohol because she couldn’t lean on anyone in her family.
This is why Fiona’s send off is so bittersweet to me. I’m ecstatic that she’s finally getting out and making a life for herself, but I’m heartbroken that she was pushed to do it because her family seemingly didn’t want her around anymore. Too bad she didn’t take Liam with her — he sure knows how she feels.
I hoped that this finale would be something unexpected and jaw dropping, but as I said previously, Shameless just isn’t that show anymore. Instead, Fiona left with a quiet and understated notion that this is her happy ending. She doesn’t need all the chaos and the trouble she thought she was addicted to. You can take the girl out of the Southside, and maybe, just maybe, you can take the Southside out of the girl too.
So what is Season 10 going to look like? Well, Fiona left half her money to her siblings. So maybe they’ll use it to get far away from each other and start their own lives too, as best they can manage with a little over 10K each at least. With no mention of Xan and Tammi constantly changing her mind about the baby, it’s hard to tell where Lip’s storyline is going. Debbie and Carl were left in relatively stable places at the end of the finale, and while Frank needs to be off his feet for the next few months, we all know that being the cockroach he is, he’ll come out the other side just fine (as fine as Frank can be, that is).
Perhaps the only promising aspect of the coming season is that Cameron Monaghan is set to return as a series regular, after only half a season being gone. Whether this means we’ll see him in prison with Mickey is yet to be revealed, but either way, I’m excited to see where his story goes.
For now though, I’d like to appreciate Emmy Rossum and her beautiful portrayal of the delightfully complex woman that is Fiona Gallagher. I’ve never seen a character quite like her, and I’ll forever be thankful for the smiles, laughs and tears she caused me while watching her on my screen. Truthfully, I’m nervous to see where this show goes without her. But regardless, there’s nine seasons telling the captivating story of Fiona to look back on. And though its on-screen end was quiet, I’d like to think it wouldn’t stay like that for long.
After all, if there’s anything we know about Fiona, it’s that she brings the party with her wherever she goes.
Jessica’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝.5
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Outlander - ‘The Deep Heart's Core’ Review
By Laure Mack
"Today we ride faster than yesterday."
The bonding and family magic continues until it's over. But is a TV family even a family without at least one misunderstanding followed by a volatile exchange between them?? I think not.
Their first fight! What a doozy. And it was Da that got grounded. Usually it's the other way around.
On a scale of 1 to 10 how wrong is it that I enjoyed that fight? Not the fake fight where Jamie strong armed some sense into his daughter and helped her realize that she had done all she possibly could do against her attacker. Because that was actually hard for me to watch. I instinctively turned away a couple of times. I don't know if it was seeing a father get physical with his daughter or seeing Bree get pushed around and manipulated, but it was unpleasant for sure. That's not a dig at all. Sam Heughan played it very well. Showing the camera and audience what he was trying to do while still pushing Bree's buttons and enraging her to react. It was well written and well acted. And how horrifyingly poignant to have a parent with their own sexual trauma to help you cope with yours. What a sad shared commonality.
No, I'm talking about that knock down drag out when Bree found out that Jamie put the beat down on Roger. Bree and Jamie go toe to toe in the tempered rage department! He did not come out very well here at all. It was a little odd seeing the king of men knocked down a few pegs. And I guess there is where she will hold him for the foreseeable future seeing as how they aren't going to see each other for four(ish) months. I appreciated that Bree wouldn't let him off the hook. Not because he beat up Roger, which admittedly wasn't his finest moment, but because of the nasty rant he spewed when he thought she lied about being raped. It was not a good color on him. She didn't ask him to beat anyone up for her and it's cheap to place the blame of his actions on her shoulders. Get it together, Jamie.
So much emphasis is being placed on the father/daughter relationship that it might be easy to miss the mother/daughter beats that are peppered in. I enjoyed them just as much as anything we got between Bree and her dad. Especially after seeing the strains of their relationship through the years, I really enjoyed the emotional stability between them now. Claire, a surgeon, is able to give Brianna the option of a surgical abortion. A conversation fraught with emotional landmines under any circumstances. It was nice of her to afford Bree that choice and to extend it so gingerly and give her the dignity of supporting any decision her daughter made. Of course it was also sad to think of all the women that wouldn't have a surgeon to rely on. And Claire stayed by Brianna's side often even embracing her during that entire confrontation in the cabin. She had her back. Let's not forget that Jamie lied to Claire too, but she didn't call him on it until after Bree had walked away. Not making the betrayal about her at all even though she was kept just as in the dark. Good mom points.
And then there's Roger. He's not having a great time. Beaten and sold and marched. His friend dies and then he is face to face with a ticket home. A ticket out of the horrors he has come to know in the past. A way out of bleeding and being chased. Back to his books and cheeseburgers and plumbing. (Maybe. I think we are supposed to assume that since he can hear the buzzing he would be able to go back to his place. Or something.) Anyway. You guys. It would be hard to stay, right? Ugh, I thought Richard Rankin really really killed it with this scene. I wanted give him a hug. I'm always very impressed when an actor makes me feel what the character is feeling. As much as I don't want him to abandon Bree, I also really wanted him to save himself. The war between self preservation and self sacrifice danced on his face and in his gestures and in the pained noises he made. Wow wow wow. Gold stars. But I'm pretty sure he won't be leaving. I could see it playing out like Claire getting dragged from the stone at the last second a la season one, though.
Almost weekly wig-related rant: This has been the season of the low ponytail. Was the low pony to 18th century North Carolina really what the side pony was to Kelly Kapowski? This isn't rhetorical, I'd like to know. Either way, I'm not here for it. It looks a little off on practically everyone. Maybe it's a family thing? But if Frasers don't have the countenance to pull it off then there really is no hope for the rest of us. I feel obligated to say that Murtagh's wig and low pony look the best in a sea of low ponytailed wigs.
3 out of 4 knots in a rope
Bits and pieces
According to TPTB, the title The Deep Heart's Core came from a poem that was originally supposed to be included in the ep but was cut from the final version.
Also, I have to say that I loved the life on the ridge montage that we got. Very Little House on the Ridge. I could have watched more of that for a while. So sweet.
The nightmare where Roger turned into Bonnet was well shot. I knew it wasn't real from the start but it made my skin crawl anyway. Ick. In season two, Jamie had nightmares where Claire turned into Black Jack Randall.
Bree smacked Jamie and Ian in this episode. Murtagh had the good sense to bolt out of the door. I also really loved Bree telling Jamie that he was insane for thinking she would trust him to go and find Roger alone.
Around the campfire the Mohawk told stories in their language, effectively excluding their white English speaking prisoners. Much like the Highlanders excluded Claire using Gaelic. This was, for some reason, a strong throwback episode. Reminding me a lot of seasons past. Not complaining, though.
Murtagh had a few silent moments that I loved this week. It was so nice of him to volunteer to take Bree to River Run. Much like he took charge of looking after Jamie for most of his life. He just belongs.
I also loved seeing Murtagh with Aunt Jocasta. They were flirting, right?? Cute. Murcasta sitting in a tree??
There were a few that made sense given the time period but that I really could've lived without:
Jamie insisting that Brianna get married.
Jamie lashing out at Brianna when he annoyingly jumped to conclusions and tried to blame his actions on her.
Ian proposing to Brianna should he not be able to save her current husband whom he sold for a silver dangly bit.
Brianna: "I don't want to be married."
Jamie: "With a bairn coming, you must."
Brianna: "Where is Roger? Lizzie told me Roger was here, and Jamie beat him."
Jamie, not Da.
On a side note, Da is still hard for me to swallow. It sounds more like something Maria von Trapp sings about than a name. I'm sure I'll adjust eventually.
Jamie: "To think I was defending your honor, and now I come to find you claim yourself violated upon finding yourself with child."
Bree: "I was violated, you self-righteous bastard! By someone else! You beat up the wrong man."
Brianna: "No! You do not get to be more angry than me."
This was such a good point. You go girl.
Bree: "I'm sorry, Mama."
Claire: "Whatever for?"
Bree: "For making you leave me."
Murtagh: "You must have taken careful note of my hands, to recall them even after thirty years have passed."
Jocasta: "How could I not? You could hardly keep them from my sister, every day of her young life. Every time I looked at her, there you were with a hand out to help her, or with flowers in them for her."
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In Case You Missed It Pt 11--3x02
We first see Mickey return while Ian is banging someone else under the bleachers at the high school. I saw some people complaining about Ian “cheating” on Mickey between the last episode and this one but I’ll remind them: Mickey essentially broke them up in his last episode.
At first when Mickey stumbles upon the scene, he looks excited to see Ian until he realizes what's going on; that Ian was having sex with someone else.
Then the jealousy flares and he acts out violently. This violence works on two levels: first and foremost as I have hopefully made abundantly clear, Mickey has been raised to be homophobic asshole, he's been raised to believe that it is okay and in fact encouraged to beat up gay people, so his first reaction when he sees this is to react violently because it's how he was raised. But there's a second layer there which is jealousy because that's his spot. Mickey, as it has been hinted, is just about always bottom and now here he is being replaced. And even though Mickey knows that what he and Ian has is casual physically, and surely he remembers that they “broke up” last season, I'm sure it still hurt to find Ian with someone else. This pain of course will be only worse when he learns about Ned who has established an emotional connection as well as a physical connection with Ian, one thing that Mickey cannot give right now.
Either way, Mickey acts out violently in this moment
I think it’s important to pay attention to Ian’s reactions. Ian rolls his eyes when Mickey says something homophobic or acts out violently, especially if it's regarding his sexuality or Ian, and this is one of those cases.
I think it’s important to always look to Ian when Mickey does something outlandish because Ian’s reaction will tell us a lot about Mickey’s motivations. In this instance, Ian laughs and rolls his eyes because he knows that Mickey isn't beating this kid up just because he's gay; that he's actually beating him up because that's his spot and Ian knows it's a jealousy thing. Ian has always had a knack for understanding Mickey’s side and deciding which side of Mickey he’s seeing: The mini-Terry Milkovich side or the true Mickey side. We saw him see right through Mickey in 1x10 when Mickey said something very biting, but Ian only laughed at him because he knew that there was no actual venom in the words. And basically any time that Mickey says something snarky, Ian laughs because he sees right through him and sees it almost as endearing! Here we see Ian almost trying to stop himself from laughing because this is so over the top and it’s almost humorous to Ian because he sees the irony of what’s going on here. Obviously it is not funny that Mickey beat up this kid who was completely innocent in this situation, but because this is TV and because this is a character defining moment, I say we forgive ourselves for laughing at the situation, because it is the sheer irony of Mickey's words that gives it humor. Without, I never would have laughed and Ian probably wouldn't have either.
The irony being that Mickey isn’t ACTUALLY beating this kid up because he’s gay or because Mickey has a vendetta against gay people. He’s beating him up because he’s jealous and beyond that is trying to keep up appearances that he’s a fagbeating hardass no one should mess with. It’s the way he tries too hard to come off as something he’s not that is humorous, then with the added irony that Mickey is criticizing this kid for allowing himself to be fucked in the ass when... Well, what is Mickey’s preferred position?
I also want to point out that Mickey's walls are definitely still raised. Mickey is no where nearer to coming out or being completely comfortable with himself, but he also hasn’t taken a step backward. The irony seems to be lost on him that he first beats up a kid for taking it in the ass and calling him a faggot, then assuming the same position... This is how dedicated he is to not admitting he’s gay. Even before this moment, it was actually in the previous episode, when Mandy said that Mickey was asking for girl on girl porn we see that Mickey is still trying to put on airs that he's straight, overcompensating, even, to combat the possibility that Frank could still run his mouth (and it's possible that Frank already has run his mouth but he just doesn't know it yet.)
So they return to their old dynamic of having sex in secret and it seems like Mickey's still allowing his walls to slowly slide down for Ian, while still keeping a good bit of himself hidden. He's not yet ready to give as much of himself as Ian probably already has, because let’s face it, each time he makes progress he gets shot, or is threatened in some way. BUT a huge thing that happens in this scene is when he admits to Ian that he missed him.
This is so fucking huge because Mickey is finally allowing himself to be slightly vulnerable and finally expressing an emotion to Ian. He’s risking a shoot down or maybe even some mockery by admitting aloud that he missed the kid.
Now something I’m still wondering is, did Ian visit him this time? I wonder because of Ian’s surprise when Mickey admits to missing him, and because he expected him to be inside for four more months. If they were in consistent contact, I’d think that he would have been told that Mickey was getting out early...
Granted the shock likely comes from their “break up” in season 2 and Ian thinking Mickey was mad at him, and it’s due to him believing that which makes me wonder if Ian even visited. If Ian didn’t visit, Mickey doesn’t say anything about it--possibly once again trying to keep Ian at arms length emotionally or not let on just how much he clearly means to him.
Ian is basically Mickey's only friend, and even Mandy admits that she doesn't like to go visit him because the guards "search” her too thoroughly. Of course, when Ian gets excited about hearing how much Mickey missed him, Mickey tries to dismiss his confession as just something physical.
And to those who insist Mickey doesn’t care about Ian, keep in mind that Mickey keeps coming back. And it isn’t just for the sex. They hang out, they talk, they know things about each other (though Ian is about to learn that he doesn’t know nearly as much about Mickey as he believes). Mickey does what he can to keep Ian around him even when he tries to convince himself that he doesn’t care. He seeks Ian out even after breaking things off with him last season, likely knowing he could have moved on. It’s knowing this, and wanting Ian close while simultaneously wanting to keep him at arms’ length because of his closeted status that makes him act so dismissive, and I feel a lot of people may not catch that.
I think Ian suspects, as I do, that Mickey doesn’t miss him just for the sex. But as we find out later in the episode, Ian is starting to doubt his ability to read Mickey.
It seems to me that Ian is learning in this moment that he doesn’t know as much about Mickey as he had always assumed. As good at reading him as he is, there’s still a lot that Mickey keeps well hidden, even from someone he clearly has a deep connection with. So for Ian to go from feeling so sure about how Mickey felt about him despite Mickey’s sturdy wall and to go from feeling as though he can read him like a book, I’m sure this is a blow to realize he doesn’t know as much as he thinks. But even Ian didn't expect this which tells me that despite how far they've come, it looks as though Mickey's walls are still pretty high, because clearly Ian doesn't know Mickey's birthday, Ian doesn't know exactly how old Mickey is and his shock that he's back shows that he probably didn't visit very much if at all.
Something else I think is really important is that we can assume Mickey is now 18. Everyone believed that Mickey had another 4 months. My guess is he was so close to aging out when he went in and he was only back in for a parole violation, so they just let him go. So why did Mickey lie about “overcrowding or some shit”? Probably because it’s a hard realization that you’re 18 now when he’s a person accustomed to being able to get away with most things with a slap on the wrist (juvie for him probably not even phasing him as a severe punishment since he likely knows how to play it there from his family and has the Milkovich name to back him up). But prison isn’t like juvie. I imagine juvie is still not a nice place, but let’s be real: prison is probably significantly worse. He’s probably trying to process the fact that next time he gets caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing, he’s going to the big house. Plus, imagine marking your 18th birthday by being released from juvie and realizing you’re going to need to own your shit in ways you haven’t needed to before... To shorten my rambling, this is a sobering moment for him.
Look at both of their faces... Mickey seems to be trying a little too hard to make that casual and Ian doesn’t look like he exactly believes him...
And the final point from the scene that I would like to make is regarding Mickey's relationship with school, and what exactly he does in the school. In his premiere episode we saw him thank Lip for writing an English paper for him. So, at one point, Mickey did care a little bit about school. He went through an effort to pay Lip to write an essay for him. But then Mickey says in this episode that he would still be considered a freshman because he hasn't passed a single class. So something happened between season 1 and season 3 that changed his relationship with school. It could have been his mother dying, it could have been that Terry forced him to start pushing drugs which we got a glimpse of in season 2 and will continue to see throughout season 3, and in this scene as well. I don't know about anyone else but when I see him explaining to Ian why he came back to the school and saying that the reason is there's drug money he needs to collect I see regret. It could be regret for what he's doing, peddling drugs to young people, or it even could be regret that he's not coming back to school to learn or better himself but to continue on a business that I think he's conflicted by.
On one end as I mentioned before, Terry has raised Mickey to be a little Terry, and up until season 4 episode 11 Mickey wanted to be a little Terry, he worked at it. So it's by no stretch of the imagination that I would see Mickey dropping out of high school to continue on the family business, or even staying in high school and putting in just enough effort to stay in order to deal drugs to young people for his dad. But either way there is definitely some dark emotion there and I feel as though it is underrecognized and underappreciated that clearly there is something about his life and something about the drugs that he is maybe resentful of or at least he feels something within his subconscious to make him feel bad about it one way or the other.
This season I think is heavily influenced by jealousy. In seasons 1 & 2 Mickey didn't really have a lot to be jealous of. Ian clearly chose him over Kash and then in season 2 Ian wasn't hanging out with anyone else and he, for all we know, was faithful to Mickey even though they weren't in a relationship; but now we see Ian moving on physically because he wasn't sure how Mickey felt about him so he needed to find a source of comfort which Mickey usually provided. And on top of that and didn't know if Mickey was mad at him or if he wanted to pick things up where they left off because Mickey ended it.
So season 3 starts with a lot of questions regarding their relationship and how things are going to work. And clearly, Ian wants something a little more committed while Mickey of course isn't there yet and won't be until season 5 (or for all we know, never imagined he could have a relationship with Ian so just didn’t dare to dream).
That’s it for 3x02! Let me know if I missed anything you think is important or if you disagree with my interpretation!
And get the whole analysis!
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Girl, I guess {TVD 8x16 Review}
OK guys, this is the last time I will have to warn the TVD fandom about writing in real time! Here it goes: You all know the drill, I write my thoughts in real time which means if I make any mistakes at the beginning of my review, I might have rectified them at the end. This will include: anti-Damon, anti-Delena, anti-Steroline, anti-Bamon, anti-Bonenzo sentiments. It will most likely reference other TV shows including Kdramas and may include observations of the show’s anti-blackness and racism. Are you ready? Let’s. Go.
1. That SC kiss is still awful. Slow-mo it all you want guys, it’s just going to accentuate how awful it was.
2. Kinda salty that the hotel’s wifi isn’t much better than the data on my phone.
3. Seriously, Vicki and Kelly being in hell makes no sense.
4. “The magic was too much for her” HOW THOUGH? Bonnie did way more strenuous magic in freaking season 2. LIKE?
5. “No no no no no”, Stefan is panicking that Bonnie might be dead and Caroline’s just like, Oh. I know we all talk about how Paul has checked out but what the fuck has Candice been doing?
6. So like why is Elena in a random ass wood in a random ass white bed? Is this what Bonnie’s world looks like? Because I thought it was a rundown Mystic Grill.
7. Nina’s wig is AWFUL.
8. How would Elena seeing Bonnie make Elena think Bonnie is dead though? Like, isn’t it just that if Bonnie dies, Elena wakes up? Who said anything about meeting each other in a random ass forest before Bonnie dies?
9. So Elena doesn’t even blink an eye when Bonnie tells her “I can be with Enzo now”? Like she just accepts that her friend is going to die to be with someone who was an enemy when Elena was awake?
10. How does Enzo have the power to bring Bonnie back to life? Is Enzo an angel? LIKE? Rules DO need to exist, Julie.
11. The look of relief on Stefan’s face when Bonnie wakes up is so nice to see.
12. Vicki, stop talking. I also like how no one has tried to tie her up to keep her from ringing the bell. Just because you can’t kill her doesn’t mean you can’t contain her.
13. “I can’t go back there, you don’t know what it’s like” because the show literally hasn’t shown us anything.
14. How predictable is it that the DE reunion is really a DK reunion, oh! Like season 1 when he thought he was kissing Elena! CLEVER. Like 100 anons came into in my inbox like, I bet it’s Katherine, the moment that reunion aired. Well, at least Damon realized it was Katherine this time, you know, after hugging her and being all, “You’re both OK.”
15. It is so tacky they made her say, “Hello brothers.” Like omg, why isn’t it over yet
16. So Katherine is in Elena’s dress. Is Elena just naked somewhere? And she straightened her hair, like how much time did she have to do this?
17. “Her PHYSICAL body” I do miss seeing Paul and Nina onscreen together again, that “so over it” attitude is very reminiscent of season 2 and the delivery was hilarious.
18. Although this Katherine is a little off, she actually seems a little more unhinged, like the way Nina says, “the devil” in that tone and “Why do you think he wanted you? Because I wanted you. DUH.” Like this is probably the first time I’ve been like so you’re crazy.
19. I don’t know why but Stefan is making me laugh so far. Damon is all “Dammit Katherine” and Stefan’s HAD IT, he’s just like YO let me stab this bitch “We gotta find, Elena, let’s go” and he LEAVES. Like he’s ready to go into battle. It also makes me feel like it’s Paul rushing to finish a scene like, “It’s the last episode, Ian, let’s GO.”
20. CAROLINE. VAMP SPEED. Walking down the stairs with a teddybear all chill and shit.
21. This is so low energy, Alaric and Caroline should be yelling at the top of their lungs, like if you want me to believe this is life or death then the characters needs to be amped, they need to be scared and frenzied, this feels like any other fight in any other episode.
22. Alaric, seriously, demote Caroline to Auntie because that’s how she acts with those twins anyway.
23. At least Katherine took the time to dress Elena in a shirt, a cardigan and jeans. It’s very thoughtful of her.
24. Me at Stefan’s face when he sees Elena on the ground:
25. So Katherine’s hair is suddenly curly again? Does she have superpowers?
26. Oh great. The fact that Katherine said Elena would choose Stefan over Damon just confirms that Elena will in fact choose Damon over Stefan. Just had to spit in the SErs’ faces one last time, I guess.
27. Lol watch Katherine actually be Silas getting into everyone’s heads and voicing their deepest fears. Again.
28. I want to feel something about this SC scene but I’m legit bored. “Please, please don’t make me leave you, please,” was sweet. That’s about it.
29. Like I’ve seen Stefan emotionally distraught at having to part ways with Elena:
and I know SErs are upset over the “I love you so much” but it’s not this:
30. It really doesn’t feel like the “world” is coming to an end, everyone is actually pretty chill. Like the season 2 finale of Buffy was the world ending (again) and everyone is freaking the fuck out:
and this is just like, Elena is unconscious, Matt allows Vicki to ring a bell that will bring hellfire and there’s the slowest evacuation in the world. We don’t even see randoms freaking out in the street. Whatever.
31. Of course Bonnie is staying behind.
32. “Downtown Mystic Falls”, I mean I guess. As the crow flies? WHO WROTE THIS. You are NOT in Lord of the Rings.
33. So I’m confused about this plan, Bonnie is going to redirect hell fire through the tunnels away from MF into hell ... so these tunnels lead into hell? Bonnie knows where hell is? The fire won’t destroy the tunnels?
34. Aw, Paul is acting! But yeah his speech to Damon is meh because Damon doesn’t deserve shit.
35. Considering that vampire blood can’t work on people who have ingested the cure, why would compulsion?
36. Why would I care about a Donovan family reunion?
37. So Grams is still around even though the Other Side is gone?
38. Bonnie pulled a Gandalf. “You shall not pass.”
39. Sorry, it was supposed to be a powerful scene but like nah.
40. So a bunch of black women who I’m guessing are the Bennett clan are pushing the hell fire away to protect a town that does not acknowledge their existence. Mmkay.
41. “He’s the better man, he’s the right man.” LOL EXCEPT NOT. HOW? Because he was FINALLY willing to sacrifice himself after almost two centuries?
42. He probably whispered something about loving Caroline to Elena.
43. I feel like I’m supposed to be sad that Stefan is dead but like I’ve seen this coming for a while.
44. LOL Magic School/Hogwarts where Jeremy teaches, this is SO BAD.
45. I’m sorry but these “peaces” just look like individual prison worlds.
What an AWFUL series finale, like it was SO BAD. I can’t even, I mean it’s laughably bad but like THIS is how you’re ending a supernatural series? WHAT DID I JUST WATCH? Nothing happened! Stefan sacrifices himself to make sure Katherine’s in hell when the fire comes but he dies when the fire goes through the tunnels so why wouldn’t Katherine just be dead if they kept her tied down in the tunnels when the fire came? And then Caroline and Alaric open a boarding school for magical kids in which Jeremy teaches for absolutely no reason and Klaus is a donor because why not and Vicki finally achieves nothingness except nothingness is peace with Tyler somewhere even though Tyler basically treated her like trash and the Other Side is gone so how they’re still watching the living is beyond me. And then Bonnie travels the world and that somehow makes her happy as if she hadn’t traveled before. Matt got a bench, good for you Matt. And Elena goes to med school and has a happy life with Damon we don’t see and then they die and each of them spend their peace not with each other and it ends. Like ... why tho? How does this make sense as ending? I should’ve been drunk for this. Plus side is, Stefan has still only called Elena the love of his life.
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4.08-4.13
Hi friends. I haven’t written since Ep 4.07. And then I didn’t want to write them all individually, so here are the highlights of the season, broken down by character. I waited until after the finale to see if any of my issues would be resolved. Would not recommend reading in one sitting. Below is 6,750+ words (10 pages single spaced in word) and some tangents. Please don’t read it in one sitting, I’m sure you have better things to do.
Warning: A higher emotion to jokes ratio.
This gets pretty critical. I loved the first half of the season, but the second half was hit and miss.
Octavia (? /+)
Wowwieee what an arc. Wasn’t sure exactly where she was going the whole time, but I generally enjoyed the ride.
Kane’s body guard. Fight with Dad!Kane. Pushed off a cliff. Ilian. Still have mixed feelings about Ilian. INDRA LOVE.
I’m happy she got to talk to Bellamy in the finale, but of course, after trying and failing to tell each other they loved one another all season, the radio cuts out, preventing it again. Typical. It still hurt. But then it hurts that much more after when Clarke doesn’t get to talk to Abby.
I like the reluctant leadership role Octavia finds herself in a lot. She acknowledges she’s not a natural leader like her brother or Clarke, but she’s being pushed to lead anyway. Indra’s council that all leaders have help/ a team is so so so so so so so so important for O to realize. She’s not entitled or arrogant like Jaha. She’s strong and humble and it will make her a great leader. I’m also glad she’s like a queen or emperor or whatever and not heda or commander. It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. It’s a new life. And they’re feeling [claustrophobic.]
And this old world is a new world and a bold world for me- would have been another appropriate lyric to throw out, but it lacks a joke and is not as obvious a reference. Same song btw.
Indra (+)
Indra had a fantastic season. I loved the depth her character got and like whoa! Daughter! Lets go back and rewatch S1-3 with this knowledge as we look at how she interacts with Octavia. I need to talk about 4.10’s conclave because holy bajobie. Such good acting. Much emotion. Give Adina Porter a series regular role. Why the hell did they make Roan a series regular when he just died. SHE DESERVES MORE. SHE IS INCREDIBLE. Ok so. We got Indra rebuilding a relationship with her estranged daughter, who have different ideas of faith and leadership. We get serious Octavia mentorship. Her conversation with Kane when he’s telling her that if Octavia makes it out of the conclave it’ll all be because of her and he’s thankful and also like I miss you, we were friends. And She’s like… you can have multiple mentors that teach you different things. And also I hope she’s ok too. We can try and be friends again. Then boom. Guess who ruins it? Fricking Thelonious Jaha. Kindra better have rebuilt in that time gap. I need them to be friends again. Plus they’re both really important influences and mentors to Octavia so they WILL interact, even if they’re disagreeing. I’d like to see that too. Show me the friendship rebuild. I need it.
Gaia (+)
From the first moment she was on screen I said, I don’t know her, but I love her. And then I found out she’s Indras BLOOD daughter. Not adopted. BLOOD. Her face is so expressive. I would love to see where S5 takes her. She’s obvs in the bunker, right?
Ilian (eh)
A generally nice boy. He took Octavia home to meet the parents…that was a poor joke, but not bad enough that I feel the need to remove it. I can feel cringes already. He helped O out of some bad situations and helped her grow. I wasn’t a fan of the cave sex, but I think I get where it came from. I still have no idea how he blew up the Ark without being stopped. He was a decent one season character. OH. It was nice in his first ep that we got to see the destruction A.L.I.E. caused on a more personal level for the grounders. While Ilian’s story can’t represent the experience of all grounders who became chipped, it does a good job of letting the viewer see the devastation she caused. By feeling sorrow for this grounder family, you can imagine that multiplied across all the clans and boom. Lots of sadness all over the coalition.
Echo (+)
She may have done some pretty messed up things but I’m still loving her. I loved her when she and Bellamy met. I was thinking, “wow we get another badass warrior woman. This show is great.” Then she helped blow up Mount Weather and I was all. “I don’t know if I can still love her… I still want to and sort of do, but I don’t know if I should.” She made sure Bellamy wasn’t inside though, you’ve got to give her credit for that. AND THEN. She wants to be buds with Bell and he’s all like. You’re a frickin spy and you killed my girlfriend. I can never trust you. And her face falls and I’m like oh, Echooooo. Someday you’ll be buds or more. In the conclave she’s a sneaky little cheater which I want to be mad at, but it was so smart and she was just trying to save her King. Her face falls AGAIN and you get where she’s coming from. She’s exhiled. King ded. Riding in to save Bell/ sneakily following him to try and find safety. One cool grounder. I really like her. I’m glad she made it into space because that will be really cool for future plotlines/ flashbacks while she’s learning how everything works.
Roan (eh)
Everything he does makes sense for his character. Most of the conflict in the 4A storyline comes from a lack of/poor communication between him and skaikru. Banishing Echo was just, but you died 5 min later and without her Azgeda literally has no clear leader. He was p cool but not my fave. They could have explored his backstory a lot more and gone in some interesting directions had they chosen to.
Clarke (?)
-a little confused?
-I get her plans fall through at every turn
-bellamy? You’re worth something to me. She saves bellamy in the rover/ tank scene. Then at some point Jaha’s influence becomes more important. Jaha potential mentorship made for interesting parallels, and made me actually a little interested in Jaha. But then he screws her over with the bunker.
She shoots at Bellamy?!?!?! But only a warning shot. And then 30 min later she’s forgiven? Man he must really love you.
Finale: wow lots of emotional Bellarke. Wowieeee. Ofc Clarke goes to the tower. Ofc she lives. But. How? How much food was left in the lab? Assuming they actually left enough for Raven, was it 5 years’ worth? How did the bunker get buried in rubble and ash (I know it was in the temple) but Becca’s lab stay perfectly fine AND sealed? It survived the first time, and has medical equipment so Clarke could treat her radiation poisoning. HOWEVER. She should have had some scars 6 years and 7 days later. What is Clarke dying her hair with? It’s really cute that she talked to Bellamy all that time to stay sane. He gave her hope. That’s really nice.
With some kid named Maddie (spelling?) now. How’d that happen? And she’s a nightblood? I’m sure this will all be explained to me so I’m not going to spiral here.
Bellamy (+)
What a great season for Bellamy. He gets emotional fixing from S3, emotional development with his sister and Kane and Clarke. He was an absolute hero in the finale. That was prime Bellamy. Holy cow was that his episode. Sure Clarke was doing things too but. Wow. He talked to Octavia, sad. He comforted Raven. He comforted Echo. He was on fiaahhh. Very happy with his season. We need a new name for this season- Bellamarie or Bernie or something that shows his growth.
Murphy & Emori (+)
Good teamwork. Glad Murphy is happy with his gal. Glad they’re both alive and in space. He’ll be the fun conflict/ complaining guy up on the Ark but still do what needs to get done. Emori is going to learn to trust these 6 other people and then no one else. I’m here for it.
Nate Miller (+)
He got rid of that trash that is Bryan. Bryan bugged Miller’s jacket in S3 or did y’all forget? Bryan wanted to let everyone die on the trip to Azgheda. Nate deserves better. He GOT better. Jackson is pure and morally right most of the time and is just way way better.
David Miller (+)
So he gave into the masses and shocked Kane. He understands mob power and mentality, but I thought they were buds. It hurt a little, but I see why he did it.
Father son guard duty was awesome.
Sacrificing for Nate was heart wrenching. I want more of the Millers.
I became strangely attached to his character after he interrupted Kabby’s reoccurring eye sex back at the start of S3. Also if you read about the casting of the millers it will break your heart even more. (link) this was all I could find in a 2 min search, but they’re really tight and it’s lovely.
Raven (+)
-so so so happy Sinclair came back in 4.11. I love him. So so much. We deserved more of him. When I saw Allesandro Juliani’s name on the opening guest credits (and not having watched any promos) I was so excited. Guys. He had a wife that I never got to meet. Will we ever get to meet her??? Abby’s already adopted Raven but you can never have too many adopted parents. I adopt them all the time. You don’t have to tell them. It’s fine. They need a good kid like me to look after. I’m cry if I keep thinking about Cindy, who was too young to actually be my mom, but was my high school mom all the same. But cooler. And with fun verb songs. Kay now I’m cryin about my Spanish teacher brb y’all. (I actually was for the record)
Ok. Back to Sinclair and Raven. Everything was beautiful. He validated her for her, not just for her super mind. That love and support was just so lovely because raven only sees herself as valuable if she can contribute with her brain. The tank scene where they touched the glass? I know that’s also common for love and hope in prison glass/grate scenes but like. Ian directed this ep. It was not a coincidence. Not at ALLLLLLLLLL. Especially with DNR written on Jasper’s hand held up to the glass. And we know Kane trying to open the bunker was a deliberate call-back to the hatch because the writers tweeted it. At this time I would like to thank Bailey and Peter for telling me I would like Lost so that I may make these connections. The ep was great because of all the emotionnnnn (4.11). Sinclair deserved better.
her surprise at the delinquents returning/ Bellamy hugging her is another emotional stab at my heart.
Raven Reyes is one bamf and I love her with all of my heart. I’m so happy she got to spacewalk, and it was really sweet Clarke figured out why she was happy about that.
Jackson (+)
Oh my gosh Jackson got a first name and a boyfriend this season and I’m so happy for him! Honestly, he delivers a lot of “the viewer needs to know this so we’ll give the lines to Jackson as him talking to Abby,” so it was really nice to see him get some development. Jackson, Nyko, and David Miller were characters that I was happy to see getting lines and screen time. Now all I have is Jackson. I’m considering getting attached to Costa but he just stands there so. Maybe not.
Nyko (-)
Nyko sacrificing himself for Luna was ok when it was for the greater good and all that, but with how Luna’s story ended up being, I wish he’d just lived. It wouldn’t have been as meaningful if someone else had died, but she doesn’t do anything that makes him dying for her worth it. It just makes me sad.
Luna (-)
I understand Luna’s resentment of being used for her nightblood. However, I don’t completely follow her path to wanting everyone to die. All of her people died, so there’s pain there, but Luna was supposed to have turned her back on violence, despite being good at it. The shift from I am reluctantly helping you (when Raven convinces her and Nyko dies) to I hate this one group of people so much I have now changed my perspective on the human race that they are all terrible and need to die. If I have to spend significant time retracing Luna’s story in my mind to try and figure out how she got to this point, the writers aren’t doing their job in tying episodes together and making her arc progress logically. I’m a nerd. I’m willing to take the time and try and figure it out. But really? Luna could have entered the conclave with the idea to share the bunker, which would have made sense to me? But then Octavia wouldn’t be able to have that growth. So. I don’t really know. Generally disappointed.
I will say, I love a good parallel or call back. When Ariana (that kid who came to Arkadia with Luna and Nyko back when Flokru died) was dying, she said something like “from the water we are born to the water we return.” When she said it again as she drowns Roan it was so cool. I’m sorry for Roan and all, but it was a cool variation of yu gonplei ste odon which all the other grounders seemingly say. I find both expressions pleasing because of the ability to shift their meaning based on tone and context. Mercy and comfort vs basically die bitch. Love it.
Kabby (+++, End--)
Kabby, as a unit, because these characters are more than their relationship. Holy cow. 4.01: we see guilt and forgiveness and love and a face caress in front of Clarke, who we see is cool with it, but also a little sad. 4.02: SEX BA-BEEE. Jake’s rings. Heart eyes. Then Abby takes the rings off- off camera. Which is not super cool because we didn’t get to see her make that decision, but they just had sex and I will pick my battles. Hug. Abby returns to go where she can be useful. I LIKED THIS because it recognized they are individuals with different skill sets and allows them to have plotlines and conflicts of their own. Abby is not just hanging around Polis and all those grounder strangers and popping onscreen to be Marcus’ girlfriend lady. I respect the separation. I HATED THIS because it separated them. Which meant less kabby scenes because they were not in the same physical location. The walkie scenes warmed my heart. That was beautiful. BUT THEN. They were apart. For ten episodes. Ten. There were thirteen total episodes in the season. They were together for three. I know Clarke’s story is the A plot darling and more important and I accept that. But her narrative and decision making process was all over the place this season and I do NOT accept that I was denied a reunion scene after Kane and Abby were apart for ten. Episodes. And then completely left out of the finale. It’s disrespectful and rude. To the characters and their storylines, which now have unanswered questions (to follow below) and a 6 year time gap. We’d better get some fucking flashbacks or something because last time there was only a THREE MONTH time gap and the emotional consequences of Mount Weather was mishandled or brushed off until Bellamy had to get a redo to fix the shitshow that was his S3 this past season. I have concerns.
Abby (started off +, end of season MAJOR--)
Kabby amazingness at the beginning and then Abby getting her own plotlines was super satisfying. I had some issues with Abby and medical ethics, but SO DID SHE! Those are hard questions to grapple with and I’m not mad at her for anything she did there. She got talked into a lot of the questionable things she did- which is good in that I can defend her to these assholes, but not good in that she was able to be talked into a morally grey decision. Abby and Raven were great. As they always have. Even when they fight and I have to explain the fight and why it’s ok to someone who will continue to say, “Whatever. I still hate Abby.” You’re entitled to your opinion, but it’s wrong. Kids these days don’t want to empathize with the adult and try to see things from their perspective. Ofc Abby doesn’t want Clarke putting herself in danger. She’s her MOM. Ofc kids identify with Clarke. But take a sec and try to understand where the other person is coming from too. Abby and your own parental unit. Sympathy and empathy are important. I don’t want anymore “oh I didn’t think of it that way.” Once you’ve considered Abby’s side of conflict, and you decide you still don’t like her (and not just to make me mad), that’s totally fine. You can feel that way, Z.
Didn’t like that Clarke and Abby were in the same room and not talking to each other? Yeah, idk.
Freeing Bellamy was awesome.
Not telling Kane about being sick- I have conflicting opinions. On one side, she’s sick and doesn’t think she can do anything about it, so don’t worry Kane until you’re together. They haven’t really had alone time since they reopened the bunker, so are we surprised she didn’t tell Kane yet? Not really. Then there’s the “don’t worry anyone at all by keeping it a complete secret” method. By keeping it a secret, you don’t have to face it full on. Your loved ones don’t know, so they don’t treat you any differently. I don’t know if this is super common or just in my head, but with cancer, it’s not uncommon for parents not to tell their kids that they’ve been diagnosed until they’re in later stages and showing symptoms? Alternatively, if their relationship is as solid as it is in my heart, there’s no real reason to keep her illness from Kane. He’s hurt, but aside from her own fear and denial, there’s no real reason for omission.
UNLESS. She’s not sick. Hear me out- Raven is having multiple seizures each day, and Abby began having hallucinations around roughly the same time. So if the illness was affecting them the same way, she ought to be symptomatic. Unless she’s not? It could be affecting her differently. But there were other people in the lab who know about Abby, and I have faith in Jackson that he can be subtle, but how did he avoid spilling the beans in front of Kane before Raven? Abby is his fam and you know he’s gonna be checking up on her even if he does have a super cute new relationship. So that means Abby isn’t progressing with her illness at the same speed Raven is, which is plausible, but she apparently hasn’t had a seizure or any other issue since the one hallucination. So I’m feeling the Clarke with radiation was a dream. BUT Jackson did a scan back in the lab, which is how we know she’s sick, so how do we explain that away? Why even bring up the fact that Abby is still sick and that Kane didn’t know, just to LEAVE THEM BOTH OUT OF THE FINALE AND NEVER ADDRESS THE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS OF: 1) how will Abby get better? 2) how will Kane and Abby deal with the fallout of a secret?
We don’t know. We time jumped 6 years and 7 days and don’t know. Flashbacks are the only solution.
Deciding to die? Let’s tear that apart. It happened right after David Miller wrote Nate’s name down, sacrificing himself. Abby’s feeling hella guilty, but I blame Jaha for making her feel like shit. Abby is the most hopeful, stubborn character on the show, and it felt a little out of character for her to decide she wanted to die, straight out. Not sacrifice herself for someone else. If the sickness and the guilt are supposed to be the motivators I’m still not convinced Abby wanted to die. Maybe just me. This scene was awesome for Kane, great writing, but Abby was just there for him to be a great character off of? A little confused.
Kane (++/eh)
I would like to start calling him Marcus at this point but I think that would make everyone uncomfortable?
Sillyness first: SHIRTLESS TWICEEEEEEEE. Ok done. Kane could not catch a freakin break. Abby leaves, which sucks but it’ll be ok. Then his daughter starts causing trouble and he has to ground her, but she dies on the way and he’s thrown in jail with his son. But they find out she’s ok. A little awk talk with stepdaughter Clarke (pre-clack phase) is a momentarily nice, but then no one wants to listen to him and he’s right about everything, but what use is that when no one will follow you? What’s a being to a mob? Jaha ruins everything (again) right when he had helped get Octavia back on track. He’d just started to fix things with his bff Indra too. Everything comes crashing down.
Like Jackson, Kane said things that were advicy but in character, but that maybe weren’t always merited? I don’t know how to explain it, but there were times when it felt like the show was going HEY. MORALS. HEY. THIS IS IMPORTANT. But Kane’s saying it so it’s THEME important instead of the viewers need these deets, Jackson tell ‘em, son. After the diplomat stuff early on, I’m not really sure what Kane as supposed to be doing? He was just sort of there in a leadership role, saying these wise things. Which he did beautifully, I might add. But he didn’t have a clear story going with all the worry and distress he went through. Unless that in itself was the point? Looping back to the issue of being right vs being an effective leader- if Kane and Jaha were being presented in that light I get it but there ought to have been more?
Dad!Kane was fantastic. Lots of hugs. I’m happy with this side of his character. Beautiful and emotional acting. Ian is my fave forever.
Jaha (-)
How dare you bring up Jake. It’s NOT the same situation. And Clarke? Was? Standing? Right? There? Rude. Abby told Jaha about Jake thinking she was talking to a friend. She ain’t yo friend no mo. She thinks you’re an insane but charismatic leader. Marcus was a good man. Damn right! I was screaming HE STILL IS SHE’S GONNA SAVE HIM! And then Abby gets to say the predictable and extremely exciting He still is. And then stab him. Justice. The entire world cheered. She should have stuck him with something more lethal, but that’s not who Abby Griffin is, and I respect that.
Jaha is a dick and I hope he died in the S4/S5 time gap. But I would also like to see his death. Is that too harsh? Ok so. Jaha as Clarke’s leader was interesting when I thought he was relating to her, and I was on board to explore where that would go. We know they would have had a past relationship on the Ark, and an actual personal one because of Wells at that. But all he wasn’t a positive guiding figure for her. He made her hate herself. He made Abby hate herself. He made Kane hate himself. But get this: He made them hate themselves by putting the blame for HIS OWN IDEAS AND ACTIONS ONTO THEM. He has no soul. He takes zero responsibility for what he did on the Ark, or Allie, moving into the bunker or like. Suggesting the lottery system. He says it, even if he didn’t think it was a good idea, at the Clarke and list incident in Arkadia. He RESUGGESTS it in the bunker in 4.12, only to go “Marcus, this is a shit idea, we can’t do that. They’re already about to riot. How can you make them stop?” Thelonious frickin Jaha. This was your idea. You moved these people into the bunker. YOU are the reason they are comfortable and just got used to the idea of surviving and now it’s being taken away. Marcus Kane had NOTHING to do with that. Don’t you put that evil on [his soul], Ricky Bobby. And you also TOLD the dude with the kid to fight against the grounders- which would get EVERYONE kicked out of the bunker if they lost (which ofc they would) according to Octavia’s rules. Everything that’s going wrong right now is your fault.
I have some serious issues with his wardrobe. The monk hood was a little silly, but I preferred that to the forever 21 boob shirt he was rocking for the second half of the season. If you’re going to wear a chesty shirt, go on and show some cleavage, Jaha. Don’t wear a shirt under it. They should have just left him in the normal zip up from 4.01. He looked normal. It was nice.
We loved to hate him, but now that he’s making everyone feel bad about themselves, good riddance. Be gone foul demon.
How the show talks about/writes/deals with death
Killing main characters is good for keeping viewers on the edge of their seat with the knowledge that no one is safe. With warring factions, plague, and radiation, we’d be fools to think that any character (aside from Clarke, probably) is completely safe. Grey’s Anatomy has killed-off a huge number of their cast when actors decide to leave the show, so I’m super used to the concept and also super worried all the time. SPOILER: I was so worried they were going to kill Stephanie instead of writing her off the show, but they didn’t. Her exit was strong and hopeful and I’m v. emo about it. However, Shonda Rhimes and the Grey’s writers, at least I hope and think, have learned that killing characters for dramatic effect and because you’re running out of plot ideas, so let’s just kill someone is poor writing. Thus the last few main and secondary characters to leave the show have been write-offs instead of kills. It’s more fulfilling. Still, in the setting of the 100, it makes more sense for characters to die than to disappear into the background. Yet when killing characters, writers have to be careful about the message they’re sending.
Lexa and Lincoln both had deaths that upset the fandom because of the real-world context fans are living in. The show got a lot of backlash for the killings and gay-baiting with Lexa appearing in the finale. Plot wise, Lexa was badass and really interesting as a character past the love relationship with Clarke; her relationships with Indra and Kane, and her role as commander and a peace broker were much more interesting to me. However, her character development was inconsistent- she died fighting for peace and “blood must not have blood” which, come on, they could have come up with a new catchy slogan, but then pops up in the C.o.L. all slashy and war-time-killing-machine-Lexa. Lincoln’s fall-out was because the show was killing another P.o.C. when white characters had been in near-death situations and survived.
Because of the blacklash, the show brought up the two again, giving them some respect and saying that their deaths still affect the characters. BUT. I liked that they did this, more-so with Lincoln because it felt so important for Octavia’s character development, saying “look where you’re headed, is this who you want to be? This isn’t who Lincoln would want you to be.” Which worked well, provided the characters saying those lines to her actually knew him at least a little. Abby talking to Clarke about Lexa was perfect and sufficient for her respects because it shows Abby accepting her daughter as Bi and Clarke’s pain over lost love.I don’t really get how Niylah and Lexa would have met, but Clarke being able to talk to her about Lexa was good, I just wish Niylah did something outside of that “support Clarke” role for most of her scenes.
BUT. Maybe I’m cynical in thinking that the only reason Lexa and Lincoln are brought back up is because of the backlash, but other characters have been completely forgotten. Pike is mentioned a bit, but no one got super attached to him over his villain-arc and redemption episode that came too late in the season to gain him much sympathy. Monty’s mom, on the other hand, would have played significantly into Monty’s character development, but is never mentioned (?) Monty tells Clarke that she’s not the only messed up one, which is sort of him saying that he’s going through grief of killing his mom. Twice. But he’s apparently fine other than the one fight he has with Clarke over the List™, which was actually more about his part in Mount Weather than his mother. Hannah Green has not been mentioned since her death.
Which leads me to serious concerns about how Jasper’s death has been and will be handled…
Jasper (major -)
So this is where shit’s gonna get real for a few minutes. This plotline hurt me. The whole season I was thinking, “I hope Jasper doesn’t die like this. I’m ok with him dying, but not like this.” I didn’t want Jasper to commit suicide. His narrative has gone from goofball to grief to depression and if you’re telling me the only end to depression is suicide- on one of my favorite shows- I have a problem with that. I have an even bigger problem with Jasper being semi-responsible for a mass suicide pact.
I don’t think showing serious topics such as suicide is wrong; a show representing real emotional and mental thought processes is good. But they cannot drop the ball and not face the real world consequences of showing that story in a way that doesn’t deal with Jasper’s story after he’s dead. His story isn’t over just because he’s not on screen, and that’s an important message the writers need to show. I need to see how fucked up Jasper’s death leaves Monty. My point is, it’s important to see how killing yourself doesn’t end the pain. Let Monty be mad. Let him be hurt. Let him be upset. But show us it. Don’t tell me that he went through his grief process in space and is now A-ok. We need to see it. Otherwise. Jasper’s death has no emotional consequences- like Fox or Monroe, except that he was a main character and needs to have consequences.
This season was so dark. If Jasper’s death doesn’t come back in the emotional ways Lincoln and Lexa’s were, and instead is relatively forgotten like Hannah Green, showing that storyline was irresponsible. Don’t make people hurt just for the dramatic effect of it and then treat that hurt like its meaningless.
Harper (-)
If Harper is meant to be the opposite of Jasper in that she decided to live, and is the “hope” character, or the character that came close and then realized not wanting to live is different from wanting to die, I see what the writers were going for, but they failed. Here’s why: Harper has only functioned as a love interest for most of the season. In S3 she was working for Kane with Nate Miller and it was awesome. S4 has her going down a dark path, which it perfectly believable any one of her plotlines from the start could turn someone dark: crash-landing as a delinquent, being drilled in Mt. Weather, being around for all the darkness of S3 plot, and leaving the guy to be trampled. So I understand how she got here, I just don’t like that we’ve only seen it through her interactions with Monty. Let her be a person outside of the relationship too. So my issue with Harper is more of a Monty issue. We don’t get to see Harper making the decision not to drink the tea. We see her say “I love you” back to Monty, which as its own story independent of everything else happening would be fine. She realized she wanted to live. Good. However, when she said it wasn’t the right time on Monty’s side. His best friend just killed himself in front of him. He’s afraid his girlfriend has killed herself too, which would amplify the pain he’s already experiencing. Harper’s fine on her own, but when I compare her to Jasper (as I’m thinking I should) I hate her storyline because it didn’t fully get to the level it needed to. Monty tried much harder to be there for Harper, which could happen, but it pisses me off because Jasper is his best friend and you don’t abandon that just because you’ve got a girlfriend.
Monty (-)
Sometimes it’s hard to be sympathetic when you can’t empathize at all in the situation. Monty cannot imagine what Harper/Jasper’s going through, and that’s hard on both of them. It’s frustrating not to understand. I’ve been Monty, hating someone for “not trying hard enough” when they were just doing their best to stay alive. I’ve been Jasper too. It sucks to know you’re a mess, but you can’t explain it to make someone who hasn’t been where you are to understand. It’s frustrating to see how you’re affecting people you care about, but you can’t stop being the way you are.
We didn’t get to see Monty deal with the death of his mother. We need to see how he deals with Jasper’s death. Or if they decide not to flashback in S5, we need to see that the death of his best friend has changed him. I’m worried that the show will glaze over it or say Monty’s ok because he had Harper to help him get through it. Jasper’s death has to have real consequences for Monty so that we see how suicide affects the ones you leave behind for both Monty’s development and to make Jasper’s death mean something on the show. He could have died in the black rain if they didn’t want to carry the emotional weight of suicide and upset viewers and they should have thought that through.
Why I’m glad Bryan was written off instead of killed (+)
The whole gay-killing would have been worse after Lexa, even though I predicted his death. Good on them for writing him off. Bryan and Miller had important, basal, essential differences. The show demonstrated how you can love someone, but can’t be with them because of irreconcilable differences. If there had been more time to show the emotional fall-out from their break-up, it probably would have been clearer that it was actually a break-up…
Predictions made back at the start and how they worked out
My death predictions were Bryan or Harper dying. I didn’t want Harper to die, and I saw problems with Bryan dying, so I’m glad he was written off instead.
I got tired of writing and stopped. I didn’t proof read this.Trying to remember 6 episodes worth of stuff was hard. Never again.
Kabby baby 2k17// Radiation + 6 years and 7 days. Make it so. Or like. Give them that little boy Jaha has no business acting as a guardian for. I maintain that Wells was good despite his father/ because he didn’t like the coldness of Thelonious, not because he was a good father to Wells. I’d prefer they take that child.
I cannot believe you read this whole thing. You are a very nice person for doing so.
If Kabby is not together is S5 I will no longer be watching the show because on/off relationships make for annoying writing and in reality probs unhealthy relationships. Do better writers. No Ross/ Rachel. No MerDer (But that actually was ok because it wasn’t forever and then they had real issues to work through which was good). More Jim/Pam. Ben/Leslie. Coach and Tami Taylor. Time man/ Penne. Time man and Penne x infinity tbh. Can Sonya guest star on the 100? Please?
Happy Hiatus.
My attention turns to GoT: Ser Jorah and Petyr (Bae)lish.
Hopes: Daniel Portman keeps his real life facial hair because I would like Pod even more
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Last night’s Shameless was so bad, Cameron had to tweet this deleted shit to try to provide some context.
Here’s his caption: “Many notable scenes are cut each season, but I was really disappointed to see this beautiful bit of writing by Dominique Morriseau go. Hope we’ll get to see it in DVD extras.”
So once again I’ll deal with this stupid shit before I deal with the episode’s stupid shit. I for one am grateful this bit didn’t make it into the show. I’ll start with the obvious-it’s more dismissal/retconning of Mickey and not only what he did actually do for Ian, but also of what he meant TO Ian. Fans over on Twitter are saying what Ian said was technically true-that Mickey didn’t tell him he was amazing or could be something. To me that’s splitting hairs-if Ian was too dense to see that Mickey thought the world of Ian, that he thought Ian could do anything he wanted to, that’s on Ian. Mickey, more importantly, never BLOCKED Ian from doing anything he wanted to do. Ian had a better source of support than most people ever get, and the show keeps insisting that it didn’t happen.
The next thing that bugs the hell out of me in that speech is that IAN DIDN’T DO ANY OF THAT FOR MICKEY EITHER. So, even if he one hundred percent believes what he’s saying, he’s also saying that he knows that was wrong, so where was he when Mickey needed someone telling him he didn’t need to be a thug/drug dealer/pimp?
And beyond that-why didn’t Ian ever visit Mickey in prison then? If he’s aware that having someone believe in you makes all the difference? AND WHY ISN’T IAN THERE FOR YEVGENY? So, sorry, Cam, this “beautiful bit of writing” sucked.
I will say that cutting the scene made what happened between Ian and the girl and Ian and Terror completely pointless and meaningless, but, hey! That’s Shameless for you!
Now for the episode itself-read more if you dare...
It was so shitty I’m really not going to waste time on most of it. A few bullet points:
Ian’s done mourning (at least this week he was. Since every week everyone is acting completely different from the week before, maybe mourning for Monica will be a thing for him again?).
Ian still has his job despite running out before his shift last week. I’m not surprised, but they don’t even address it?
Fiona says utilities are included in the rent she’s charging-um, really? I don’t know anything about the housing situation in Chicago, but in Massachusetts utilities aren’t included because of the cost of heating in winter/cooling in summer-and even if Fiona doesn’t pay for whatever is heating those apartments, since electricity is included in the fixed rent wouldn’t people just buy a shit ton of plug-in heaters and let her carry the expense?
The cock mug was back-but Debbie drank out of it, not Ian.
Ian took “a” med-guess they found he only needs one drug to keep all his symptoms in check?
Lip dreamed about tits (sorry you had to direct that scene, Regina King-you deserve better), but not one of his dream girls looked anything like Snore, LOL. Snore was only in the background at the diner for one scene-no lines. She’s the new Liam. I don’t get why they brought her back this season when they obviously cottoned onto the fact that she’s not that good an actress. Lip winds up banging the kickass chick at the bike shop, but they’ve telegraphed that she’s going to be a Sex Addicts Anonymous participant and Lip’s sponsor will probably wind up having to lecture him at some point. Yawn. Youens wasn’t mentioned at all in this episode-maybe they’re done with him too? Lip bringing that one meeting to his house took care of that?
The stuff with Kev’s family was reminiscent of Frank’s time at the commune with the yurts and did anyone need more of that? Also, I’m sorry if I was supposed to get indignant on Kev’s behalf that the Kentucky folk abandoned him to go into foster care-Kev has a son with Vee’s mother that he has nothing to do with either, so maybe put that rock away while you’re in that glass house?
Frank being a turn on to any woman is something they’ve done to death and it’s more unrealistic each time.
Fiona had some big cathartic thing happen from Sean popping up-not really though. There was the typical trope of her spewing all her shit before Sean could say why he was there, so all she did was look like a jackass assuming he was back to win her fair hand all over again when he was actually there to make amends and tell her he’s married. She said a bunch of stuff about never being able to trust him that Terror should’ve said in 7X12 in a final farewell to the series scene. Fiona went on and on about how Sean ripped her world apart and he was the love of her life and all this shit that the show never showed. It was such crap and do they really think we’re invested in any of it? Had they shown her suffering/missing him after the wedding fell through, maybe, but they didn’t and it’s too late to convince us now. (BTW Sean’s wife was young and pretty-of course she was.)
The other Fiona thing for the week is that Nessa is her fucking toady at the apartment building-in constant touch with Fi and acting as her right hand when she’s not there...doesn’t she have a job as an accountant for an airline? Isn’t that a pretty much 9-5 job?
Liam’s still in school, but Carl’s not in school? What? Also, Carl’s storyline is as boring as it is unbelievable and again I can’t believe that they expect us to be invested in it. The veteran he’s going to help out-had no lines.
Now the Ian stuff. First off, anyone can just wander in the EMT bay where they keep the open, unlocked trucks. The chick Ian helped in a previous episode turns up saying how he said if she needed help, she could go to him. Then the cut scene should’ve happened, but all we got was Ian tucking her in on the couch and walking up the stairs, pausing to look back at her. The scene was...weird. The girl looks a bit like a poor man’s Peyton List-same moon face, just take Pey’s make up and hair extensions off and she could’ve played the role-and that just took me out of the story-we’re supposed to feel a bit anxious about Ian being involved with a teen here, so how ‘bout irl?
Anyway, next time we see Ian, he’s waking up in his tiny bed with the girl laying there with him. Damn Ian must be a sound sleeper if he didn’t notice someone crowding in there with him-remember, he’s only taking one med now, so I’m not buying that it knocks him out unless it was a Benadryl. Ian’s only in boxers (so at least my prediction of never seeing him shirtless again didn’t come true-but who wants to see him topless with a teenage girl?), and he wakes the girl up and climbs over her and pulls some pants on. She gets out of his bed in just her undies and a tight tank top and says it was creepy downstairs so she came up to sleep with him.
So, in this week’s “there’s been no character development” highlight-here we have Ian acting as clueless as he was with Mandy in Season 1, when 15 year old Ian couldn’t find a way to let a girl know he’s gay/not interested in them/that it’s wrong for them to be all over him. Let’s reset Ian to zero-forget all his life experience AND make him so dumb as a 22 year old that he doesn’t realize he needs to tell teen girls NOT to get into bed with him. Nope, he just picks up her phone off his bed and puts his number in there so she can call him “the next time she needs a place to crash”.
Lip sees the chick come out of Ian’s room-doesn’t even say anything about the age of consent or whatever.
The girl must see herself out, because next we have Lip and Ian coming into the kitchen where Fiona has been sitting up all night smoking Lip’s pack of Camels. Ian misses a perfect opportunity to tell Fi she’s lucky Sean’s married to someone else-he would’ve set a match to her life otherwise. Ian’s wearing a tank top by now and he has a farmers tan and it made me sad.
Next time we see Ian, Terror pops up in the truck bay at work. He gives Ian shit about the teen girl, Ian says he was just trying to help, they try to argue but their lack of chemistry smothers that too. Even though for once Ian sort of sticks up for himself and says, “Would you mind easing up a bit” (on the lecturing), it was just lame. Terror says Ian can’t let kids from the shelter sleep with him, Ian says, “I’m gay,” (so, Terror didn’t know?) and that there was nothing sexual about it and he was just trying to help, but Terror says she’s an incest victim and these kids don’t know when something’s sexual or not (or something-I didn’t bother jotting it down). For once Terror has a point, except he ruins it by making it all about HIM, as always. He says it’s bullshit that Ian was trying to help (um, no it’s not? He really was?) and that Ian’s trying to weasel his way back into Terror’s life, but then, instead of telling Ian that they’re never going to get back together, he just says, “do not use these kids to do it.” UGH! NOOOO! That was as much as saying, “We’re going to get back together, but not for this reason.” FUCK NO!!!! DEVIL!!!! Ian at least gives him a fuck you look to end the scene, but...
the next time we see Ian, he’s walking home in his bright red sneakers and Terror pulls up next to him in his shitty little Terror-mobile. He gets out of the car and commends Ian for Teenie wanting to get into a junior firefighters’ program (which makes zero sense without Cam’s tweet). Ian says something like did he do something right or whatever, and asshole Terror says, “You’re not out of the doghouse-yet.” NOOOOOO! Not “yet”! Fuck you, Terror, just walk away from this! He’ll fuck you over and you know it! You’re never going to keep him interested in you-no one knows why he’s ever been involved with you to begin with!!!! Ian perks up like the kicked puppy he is with these assholes and says, “What can I do to make it right?” Terror says he can help him find housing for the kids. WHAT? HOW? Terror has contacts and ways of making that happen and he can’t do it-WTF is Ian supposed to do? What a lame, obvious plot point to keep them “together”. It’s such horseshit!!! Anyway, Ian says, “OK, I can do that,” and fucking Terror says, “Thank you.” I’m now predicting that Geneva the teen dies in the episode after next and Ian cries down at the docks and Terror follows him there to tell him it isn’t his fault, he tried, and then they’ll fuck and I’ll puke.
The final scene is the family (and Nessa?) all gathered in the living room, and all it did was highlight what a pale shadow the show is of its former self. They’ve lost whatever spark they used to have.
A final thought: Terror’s eyebrows are really taking over his entire face. In the scene in the EMT barn, they were all I could see. They just sit there like big furry caterpillars and make his face even less expressive as an actor.
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4.04 A Lie Guarded
[More like ALIE Guarded mmmhhhhmmmm. I see what you did there.]
Now featuring 3 convenient plot headings this week because we jumped around so much!
Arkadia:
Jasper with the comic relief- Jaha go float yourself. Hah. Ok, but after 6 months I’m sure some of the people from the ark have learned how to swim. Maybe not well. Jaha certainly hasn’t learned; he was out in the desert poking at landmines. Also Jasper drugged him to get him out there? That’s a little scary, bud.
“Bellamy should be back by now” poor Clarke. Left behind by bell and her mom’s tech crew to ALIE’s Island. Reverse engineer it from Luna, but is Luna cool with that? Parallels to Mount Weather. Kane wanted to donate blood marrow, but it would never have been enough. Fortunately for Luna, only a small sample of her blood should be needed for reverse engineering.
Clarke saying her mom isn’t a geneticist either is pretty dumb because Abby actually went through all her medical training on the Ark. Clarke is smart but didn’t. You’re upset that you don’t really have anything important to do at the moment, but don’t act like a brat. Sometimes I feel I’m too hard on Clarke, she’s constantly making the best of crappy situations, but I feel she can handle my criticism.
Black Rain- ok but how do they know if the clouds should look different from regular rain? Honestly.
Harper won’t let Monty save Jasper- Jasper scares the shit out of them like a jerk. No a funny prank like Jaha.
Jasper talks Monty into pranking Clarke. Jasper finds Clarkes list. Clarke def should have at least put it in a drawer instead of almost plain sight. Yes, technically Monty and Jasper shouldn’t be in the chancellor’s office, but you’ve got to do better than that. For plot purposes I understand I had to be open enough to be found so that people can get upset, but it was careless. Also Clarke is so serious did you honestly think pranking her would go over well?
Monty and Miller senior not on the list! You don’t get to act on Kane’s authority and shocklash Jasper, Clarke. You freaked out and made a rash decision. You’re going too far and you can’t hide behind Kane’s name. Monty trusts Clarke when other people don’t, partially because he’s seen her have to struggle with the big decisions
OF frickin’ COURSE doctor mom Abby Griffin is first on the list with her children Eric Jackson (HE HAS A FIRST NAME!) and Raven.
Riley don’t drag Darcy. I’ve had enough of you and you’re in 5 more episodes. I bet you die. I have no emotional attachment to you yet.
Say what you want about Jaha, but he’s got charisma and his preachy butt saved Clarke. This is why Clarke doesn’t lead well alone; she makes the hard decisions, but she doesn’t inspire people to follow her. That’s what Bellamy does. And the adult leaders too.
“He used to be everything I hated, maybe he was keeping us together” what a compliment. Clarke’s shifted from Jake Griffin’s daughter who wanted to tell everyone of the air leak on the Ark to closer to Jaha’s wanting to keep it a secret. I don’t think she’ll ever go full Jaha because she has people calling her out all the time and Bellamy to balance her. I’m with Jasper that she should reevaluate the situation and herself if Jaha is looking like the ideal leader.
The Adventures of dad!Kane and his kiddos, the Blakes:
“I wish I were with you” “me too” “stay safe, Abby” “you stay safe too” UGH. I have a head canon they radio good night and reminders to eat and fluff like that. Love it. But I doubt either of them will actually stay safe. They’re risk takers.
Dad!Kane. “what did I do now”- Octavia. It’s lecture timeeee.
Omg when she tries to leave and he says “Sit down” whoaaa 1) she sits down. She does exactly what she’s told. Octavia is an assassin but she listens to dad!Kane and I find that hilarious. 2) He hasn’t used that angry tone in a while and wowieee I did not know I missed it. Boss more people around. ¿Escupir fuego, no? One of the consequences for killing people is that O has to go home. Aka grounded, but away from the grounders. Da dun tshhhhhh. Thank you, thank you.
Kane is in full-on dad! mode for the entire episode. I love it. Some kid named Stevens (don’t get too attached because p soon his head won’t be, amiright? Offensive and inaccurate. he only got his throat slit. sorry.) and Bellamy got captured. That’s where he is Clarke, you were right to worry. Dad!Kane rushes to his son to check on him. *Face cradle* He knows the other kid too, but Bell will always come first. Duh. Roan fears assention, Kane has to explain metabolism, lol. This whole show is a great social comment on trying to save the earth with nature stacked against you. Plus having to get other (nations) to work with you and try to solve this problem that affects them too. #goodstuff.
Alliance Broken. #notgood. Abby needed you to keep the peace so that her engineered nightblood could go to everyone. Bell and Kane hostages. Octavia and Indra to be hunted down. Not a good situation. That’s why honesty and forwardness is so important. parallel Jake Griffin, Raven Reyes
Echo gives Octavia three chances to come quietly. She clearly doesn’t want to do this Octavia
Bell x Kane in Jail
Such faith in Abby. This is the relationship I’m here for. I love Kane. Dad!Kane trying to reassure his son. His disbelief blink™ at Roan. Like TF you mean you’re going to take over my home? Where my wife and children live? Priceless. ANOTHER reiteration of there has to be another way. I’m all about these lines and themes popping up. Kabby’s faith in finding the best solution is what I’m here for. Also the live tweets between Paige and Ian killed me:
I can’t handle this. I can’t handle this AT ALL.
Remember when Echo wanted to be Bell’s friend? I think she’s finally realizing that after killing Octavia, this will never happen. She’s clearly emotional about having to tell him. And even if she disliked Octavia, Echo clearly respected her as a warrior.
Give Bob Morley an Emmy.
Kane in his “hands on forehead= distressed” pose. Someone comfort them. Kane is having such a hard time keeping both of the Blakes safe and happy at the same time. I feel for him.
Here comes Helios, the best character of all. I’d better not get too attached because I doubt he made Clarke’s list. There are rocks down there. It looks to be over 200 ft. she would have broken something. It looked like she landed on her back. The 100 writers, are you aware of physics and the force of gravity accelerating Octavia’s body at 9.8m/s2 over this 200 ft cliff? Bellyflops hurt at 4 ft above the water because of surface tension. Imagine that pain multiplied by the heightened acceleration. I can’t believe O is unharmed enough to pull herself up onto Helios while possibly bleeding out from the side wound.
It’s so terrible (and good tv) that everyone thinks Octavia is dead. We get to see Bellamy mourn during a time when he has to stay focused on saving his people from Ice Nation and the radiation. No doubt Kane feels somewhat responsible for sending her away, but if she was in Polis she would have bee A) a prisoner with them- good.. or B) killed because she’s too much of a risk/ threat. Dramatic Irony is such a basic and useful plot device. We just want to tell them SHE’S ALIVE before they go too far down a potentially bad path. I think it would be really cool if she made it to Niylah or Trikru first and recovered there before going on to Arkadia. Then she can stroll in for the war all “Surprise, bitch. Did you miss me?” If this goes down, we get emotional character development of Bellamy, Indra, Kane and more! And then hopefully a fam reunion scene where they’re all so happy to have her back. The grounders are for sure giving her a new nickname. Say goodbye to Skairippah and hello to the grounder equivalent of Skai-back-from-the-dead.
DOCTOR TECH SQUAD:
Jackson, my sweet angel, checking on Raven. He’s not being a jerk like Nate is 2 minutes later about it. Everyone loves you and is concerned and it sucks because that sets you apart. I get it. People need to learn more subtle ways to check on you.
Luna says she has no choice to Nyko… UH OHH Mt. Weather call-backs.
Don’t pass the line. All I was thinking about was Lost during this scene. Here come the drones. I know they can be useful for stuff, but weaponized drones are scary af. Plus it’s creepy that they have cameras and can spy on you with no serious consequences. They give me anxiety in real life.
Nate. You’re now on my bad list for a while because it took you TEN SHOTS to shoot down the drone while NYKO. MY HERO. Is killed. Cryin. Emori wants Murphy to ditch Abby? Oh heck no, she adopted him.
Raven shot at Luna. Wow. She did that. She continued to point the gun at her the whole time they were talking, risky.
“Jackson’s hit”-Nate
“What do you mean Jackson’s hit?!?”- Concerned doctor mom
ABBY YOU SHOULD NOT DRAW THE DRONE’S FIRE. I GET IT, SAVE JACKSON. THIS IS EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT “STAY SAFE MEANS.” Kabby will always put others before themselves. I love this, but it’s also worrisome and dangerous. Also Jackson’s like Abby. No. Don’t. my frail heart.
“Luna, I’m sorry about Nyko.” Me too Abby. He was your friend! There was mutual respect as healers. Nyko knows all the plants and herbal medicines while Abby has all the sophisticated technology and a different set of knowledge. I’m pissed that dynamic of different knowledge getting used together only got to be explored a little before they killed my man. L
What a cool looking lab. Abby and Raven super excited, lil’ happy grins. So nice to see. I’m looking forward to the call backs of them working together as they did on the escape pod in S1. Let the sass and problem solving begin!
With that said, I have some serious science questions about the process of reverse engineering nightblood to put in people’s bodies. Could non-nightbloods reject the nightblood? If it is its own sugar coating on blood cells genotype, which it must be because it’s some sort of recessive trait, they’d have to make different forms for each of the grounder and Ark blood types (I list them separate because they’ve had different levels of radiation). I don’t know a lot about the processes at play here, but my limited science brain wants to know the nitty-gritty of how this gets explained.
Up Next:
Roan is due for his radiation attack soon. Abby better get on that nightblood serum fast. I feel like his past medical involvement with Abby means that he’ll be more inclined to trust her and be one of the first to become a nightblood, despite protests from Echo. This is a risk for him- if it fails he’s dead and loses power. If it works he’s seen a Mr. Fearless and a good leader.
I find myself hating Jaha’s character less and less. I know, I know, but hear me out, OK? Part of that is definitely because he’s interacting in interesting ways with Clarke and the others. He’s plot relevant. Part of it is the way Clarke/Bellamy/Raven/all the delinquents are being set up to fall into different schools of thought on openness in leadership roles in the way that Jake Griffin/Abby/Jaha did before Jake was floated. No one is ever going to be full Jaha, because he distanced himself while in power so that he’d be able to put aside his personal feelings for someone so he could float them if needed. Everyone else in the show has at least one other person they can connect to and lean on. Parallels are so fun. Quali-tea writing.
The next ep is called Tinder Box, which I am 100% sure is not about “how people meet. It’s like real life, but better.” Lol sounds like CoL. Probs some box of fire starters. Almost all the faves look like they’re in it. My prediction is that Bellamy and Kane make it back to Arkadia with Azgeda. Clarke then has to step in and try and save her fam. I have a feeling the doctor-tech squad will stay at Becca/ ALIE’s island working as a separate plot, even if they find out what’s been happening with everyone else. It should push them to work faster + feels too soon for a Kabby reunion. Poor Clarke has to do all the heavy lifting again. Maybe someday she can just go draw in the woods.
WHICH REMINDS ME! I would love if the Eden Tree popped back up. Like if Kane has been going off and taking care of it this whole time (not likely because he’s been imprisoned like 4 times) and we see that. OR- equally excited but in a visual emotional way- when the radiation hit and we see fire or this black rain destroying everything and the camera pans to the Eden Tree being destroyed. SYMBOLISM. Or Kane digs it up and brings it back inside? Poor tree, but gotta keep momma’s spirit alive. I would love some reference to Vera with or without the tree. LET’S GOOO.
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Mid writing this, my roommate texted me that she was mad at Abby after watching 4.03- she thought Abby killed Adrian, which she ABSOLUTELY DID NOT. She has to go to the gym and do a burpee for every mean thing she’s said about Abby- which is like 100. Girl gonna be fit™. She’s totally going to slam Abby to tease me and get under my skin, so that’s something to look forward to.
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