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authortobenamedlater · 2 months

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Predictions, questions, good/bad/neutral about E3.

Why does this show make me so long-winded.

Predictions:

As I already mentioned, Jacob Keyes is not going to survive Reach. I don’t want this to happen, because death seems like too easy an out for him and the Spartans need their Dadmiral, but it’s close enough to canon. He can live on in my AUs.

Kai leads the Spartan-IIIs on Reach. In a couple of trailers we see her in a drop ship with what I’m now certain are SPI helmets behind her. Then she goes to Onyx and steps into the Kurt role. Or maybe she takes over for him. It’s probably too much to hope that we might see them working together. I’ll save that for headcanons and fanfic.

…Does this mean Kai will go out like Kurt at some point? Getting ahead of things.

Miranda is on Onyx doing artifact research and/or working on the science side of the S-IIIs. She did finally show up for two seconds in the “this season on” trailer.

The Covenant forces Cortana to reveal the location of Earth, which is why John is standing on a drop ship with Jupiter in the foreground in one of the trailers.

We will meet Noble Team in some form, especially if Kai is leading the S-IIIs into battle.

Reach is going down. There. At least one of these predictions is guaranteed.

Questions:

WHO is that S-III who looks an awful lot like Corporal Perez? Just a coincidental lookalike? If not Talia, maybe Kat or Lucy? I would love to see Tom and Lucy on screen.

Silver Team is, officially or otherwise, getting separated. Kai and Riz are both justifiably POed at John and Vannak isn’t too happy either, I imagine. Kai got pulled to the S-IIIs and Riz is wondering about “life without all this Spartan $#*!.” Are we going to see John as the one-man army we get in every Halo game except 5, and Silver will become recurring characters? Or, are we making room for John to get a new team? Maybe a team we know already? Like…Blue Team?

I am very curious what the Spartan-IIIs look like in this world. I get the impression they haven’t been around that long, but most of this is fan brain conjecture from trailers. Exhibit A: In one trailer Kai steps out in front of a formation of IIIs and we hear Ackerson saying “make them Spartans.” The IIIs already ARE Spartans. They’ve been around for 20 years by this point.

UNLESS. They’ve basically made the IIIs into the IVs. That could explain a Talia sighting and why Kai is getting tapped to train them. Maybe Reach is their first deployment.

If these are the IIIs who are more like IVs, maybe the Talia Perez lookalike is Sarah Palmer? I hope not, because Frankie Adams of The Expanse fame is live action Palmer in my mind’s eye and I want to keep that illusion as long as possible.

The suits look pretty similar.

Once again getting WAY ahead of myself.

How are they going to resolve the Cortana situation? In one trailer it looks like a Sangheili is putting her on a chip or disk of some kind. Is she going back in John’s head at some point? Who’s going to do this? If she stays on a chip do they have to retrofit his helmet and every other piece of UNSC tech?

Who’s this Var ‘Gatanai Talia names in the last scene? Did the show make an entirely new Arbiter? Is Var going to die and make room for Thel? Is Thel still leading the fleet and Var is on the ground? Does Thel not exist here? Last time we saw Makee she was about to touch the larger artifact. Did she ever touch it?What happened? Are we going to see her during the battle? Will she die again? Will she stay dead?

Good, bad, general commentary:

You all know what I want. I’m here for The Chief and Cortana Show. I want my Chief and Cortana Show. This is not the Chief and Cortana show. I want them back together.

I like how the show is giving us a peek into how the UNSC / ONI bureaucracy and agenda is as big an adversary as the Covenant. A good example of the show telling stories the games can’t. Not that shooting your way through ONI red tape wouldn’t be kind of a hilarious video game.

I currently don’t like how they just wiped Madrigal out of the picture, but I am reserving judgment for now to see how this plays out.

I love Ackerson. I hate Ackerson.

Kind of mad Cobalt Team turned up dead. They deserved better.

I still live in hope of one day meeting Avery Johnson.

Ackerson talks about John “interact[ing] with the Covenant agent” and says he read the report. So all that is common knowledge? And John is just walking around like nothing happened? Weird.

Laera being a boss lady and mama bear is awesome. She is truly the only woman for Soren.

I am SCREAMING and FLAILING and GEEKING OUT over the overt Christian references this season. Making me want to write my “what if a Spartan got religion” story. Gahhhhhh

#halo #halo spoilers #halo tv show

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deeg9 · 2 years

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Predictions and ramblings for S5

With Wesley moving to the DAs office for S5, I’m thinking Chris/Lucy still break up in ep 1 or 2 of the season, and Chris is still a recurring character because of this new subplot and dynamic. Chris is “tough on crime” / Wesley is trying to reform the system.

I’ve seen a few posts where people assume they’re still dating because he’s still on the show (which is fair, they haven’t kept around other non-cop exes).

What I’m curious about… other than him humming the song, why do people think Chris is working with Rosalind? It seems like prettttty bad luck and repetitive for Tim to accidentally push Lucy twice toward serial killers. Although this show loves parallels so it’s not impossible!

I hope he’s not evil because it’ll be fun to see Tim & Lucy navigate dating and going public with her ex still being present in their professional lives. Could make for some good comedy and drama!

Side note: remember in S2 when they said Del Monte was running for DA? Maybe he does something stupid that helps Rosalind carry out a plan that pushes him into the spotlight for the election.

#the rookie #the rookie s5 #the rookie predictions #why isn’t it September yet

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steven-falls · 3 years

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The Strengths of serialization: A Disenchantment analysis

Note: this is a script for a video I’m making. There are some generalised statements in this script, that will be accompanied with visuals in the final video to help specify what I am referring to.

So, Netflix just dropped part 3 of disenchantment, and with the new batch of episodes came a slew of worldbuilding, lore, characterization, laughs, adventures, and Elfo abuse. But, instead of giving an overview of everything that happened in the season (or part) I want to focus on one specific aspect of part 3 and compare this to parts 1 and 2 and that is, the serialisation of Disenchantment.

In television shows, there are two main formats a show can take: A serialized format and an episodic format. A serialized format has continuing storylines that span over the course of the entire season. Think of pretty much every drama show. By contrast, an episodic TV show presents each episode as a self contained story. Meaning you could jump in at any point in the series without needing much prior knowledge to understand what’s happening. This is the format that most animated sitcoms, such as Disenchantment’s contemporaries, The Simpsons and Futurama, went for.

Disenchantment was an interesting case as it seemed to be going for a mix of both serialization and self contained episodes throughout its first two parts, which made up season 1. The first few and last few episodes of both parts 1 and 2 had a serialized format, where the cliffhanger ending of one episode would lead directly into the opening of the next. For example part 2’s opening episode ‘The disenchantress’ ends with Bean walking down a staircase to hell, which is picked straight back up on again in the next episode, aptly titled ‘Staircase to hell’. It’s required that an audience member watches these two episodes in order, otherwise they would be confused by the opening of the latter.

But then the middle episodes of parts 1 and 2 were stand alone episodic adventures, that didn’t always directly tie into each other. For instance, the heist plot of ‘the Dreamland job’ has little to nothing to do with Derrik’s character journey in the following episode, ‘Love’s Slimy Embrace’. So not much would be lost on an audience member who watched these two episodes out of order. The main throughline between them is Lucie buying and owning the bar. But that’s a rather minor element of ‘Love's Slimby embrace’, it’s not like you need an explanation of why Lucie owns the bar to understand what’s happening in that episode.

Where Part 3 really differs from the previous two parts, is that it sticks to a more serilized format for most of its run. Pretty much every episode develops on something meaningful established in prior episodes. For instance, In the first episode of part 3 it’s revealed that Pendegast has been murdered, so the third episode ‘Beanie get your gun’ is spent investigating what happened to him. They find out it’s the priestess, and chase her down in the next episode, which naturally leads into the steam land sega covered in episodes 4 and 5, and then the boat trip back to Dreamland in episode 6. Even when an episode doesn’t end in a cliffhanger, the events that occurred in the previous episode will still be playing on the character’s mind in the next, keeping a constant narrative flow throughout part 3.

Now, I do not believe that serialized Television is inherently better than episodic Television. There are shows that owe their success to their episodic format.

But I think in Disenchantment’s case, serialization fits the tone and scope it’s going for.

Disenchantment is basically a mystery show, Part 3 opens with several overarching mysteries that are investigated over the course of the season, and Bean literally plays detective in two episodes.

Part 2 also presented several mysteries in its opening episodes, like Bean’s heritage and the secret treasure the elfs are looking for. But this became a frustration I had with part 2, as it felt like it was presenting the audience with several tantalising mysteries, but then avoided expanding on them, in favour of more non sequitur adventures. Take the episode ‘the lonely heart is a hunter’ for example. That episode has a subplot about Bean investigating some old runes that are hinted to have a connection to her mother. But this basically leads nowhere as Bean gets scared and gives up on investigating them. We don’t find out anything about them for the rest of part 2, halting that story in its tracks. What the episode chooses to develop instead is the relationship between Zogg and a bear woman named Ursula, a character who has only appeared in this single episode to date. I do actually enjoy this plot line, I think it’s funny and gives Zogg some decent character development. But when the episode prioritises a somewhat frivolous love affair over expanding on the mysteries it’s already set up, it can be frustrating to sit through, because I’m just waiting for them to get back to that mystery.

There are still some instances in part 3 where they bring up an unresolved mystery or plot line but don’t follow up on it straight away. Like it should annoy me that they mention Leaveos quest early in the season, only for it to not develop any further until the last episode.

But it doesn’t, because there’s a narrative excuse for the other character’s to abandon Leaveo and his plot line. They have the more pressing issue of Dagmar to deal with in that moment, and after that I’m so swept up in the murder and betrayl stuff that I don’t mind them leaving Leavo’s plot thread for a little longer.

Another result of part 3 taking a more serialised approach is that it makes meaningful changes to the Disenchantments status quo

After part 1 ended with several series altering cliffhangers, that seemed like it was taking the show in a radically different direction, I was disappointed by how in part 2 everything reverted back to normal by the end of episode 3. Sure, there were a few status quo changes, but for the most part, part 2 still followed Bean, Elfo and Lucie’s shenanigans around Dreamland, not that fundamentally different from part 1.

But this isn’t a criticism I can level at part 3. For one thing there are no episodes of Bean just goofing around drinking, she’s always trying to get somewhere, figure something out, or face some threat to the kingdom. The constant rising urgency prevents the show from feeling as if it’s in some stagnant status quo.

The only time I was in fear of Disenchantment resetting to a status quo was at the beginning of episode 3, ‘Beanie get your gun’, when Derrik reinstates power to Zogg, the towns people don’t care about Bean supposedly being a witch, and Zogg’s forgotten about Odvals and the priestess’s coup attempt

The characters even comment on how weird the situation is.

With Bean and Zogg being reinstated it almost seemed like the whole coup subplot had been entirely pointless, especially as the opening of the episode hinted that Pendergast might not actually have been killed.

But the episode’s ending underlines the lasting impact this coup had, by confirming Pendergast’s death and having the priestess become a fugitive from the kingdom, basically writing out two major supporting characters.

On the subject, Pendergast’s death is the first one in Disenchantment that I was genuinely shocked by. Just because of the show’s willingness to kill off a recurring character without going back on it. They have done similar deaths before, like when Jerry was killed. But Jerry was divorced enough from the main cast and the setting of Dreamland that his absence didn’t feel as noticeable. It’s not like his death bared any repercussions on how Dreamland functioned as a kingdom for example. But Pendergast’s death does, you’re reminded of his absence any time you watch a scene with Zogg losing his mind, or see turbish and Mertz without their commander. Even if Pendergast is somehow brought back later, his death was still felt throughout the whole of this season.

Part 3 of Disenchantment managed to capture my intrigue, by taking its story and characters to interesting new places. My hope for part 4 is that everything part 3 built toward gets a decent payoff. By the end of part 3 most of the plotlines have still been left open ended, with even more opening up and others being teased at. In one case it looks like they might be rehashing an older plotline.

My fear for part 4 is that all these storylines are going to trip over each other. That part four has to juggle so many different plotlines that it’s not going to be able to devote enough time to each of them, making their resolutions feel rushed and underdeveloped.

I think its on part 4 to intertwine all these plot threads, so everything comes together to form one satisfying conclusion. Unless they’re planning on continuing the show after part 4, in which case I hope part 4 is a more streamlined and focused version of part 3.

Speaking of satisfying conclusions… I couldn’t think of one for this video! So let’s end off by discussing three times Disenchantment part 3 referenced 3 other Matt Greoning cartoons.

Starting with the most obvious, the ‘Trip to the moon’ rollercoaster seen in the episode ‘Freak out’ is a reference to the second Futurama episode ‘’The series has landed’, where the planet express crew visit a theme park on the moon. In particular the rollercoaster’s moon face bares resemblance to the mascot crater face. Look, it even has part of the rollercoaster going through its eye, just like how craterface always has a beer bottle shoved through their eye. Which itself is a reference to a silent film from 1920 called ‘A Trip to the moon’. Wait actually maybe the rollercoaster is just supposed to be a reference to that.

Seconally, the joke about the kings servants Vip and Vap living in unlawful cohabitation is a reference to the characters Arkbah and Jeff, who are a gay couple from Matt Groening’s comic, Life in Hell. They also share similar character designs.

And finally, I don’t think this was intentional, but Elfo skating on Dagmars oily back reminded me of Bart Simpson skateboarding. Now try and get that image out of your mind! Good night everybody.

#just posting this to prove this script exists #I’ll post a link to the video on this blog when it’s done #But my YouTube channel is Mac Monkeyhat if you want to look me up in the mean time!#disenchantment

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ellanainthetardis · 4 years

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Alright, this will be my review for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes so obviously spoilers under the cut.

Also obviously, this is my opinion, I force no one to share it and I’m happy to discuss the book with anyone who wants to.

First off, I won’t go into all the deep themes in the books. It seems obvious to me there’s a very clever allegory for a contrat social at work here but since I am not very much interested in that, I will leave it aside. It’s well done, I think, but I am more a character driven sort of reader than theme driven and the debate over “are we the product of our environment or is man a beast at heart” is a bit null here. Surely enough, as one of the quotes at the beginning implies, the whole book more or less struggles to show Dr Gaul somehow turns Coryo into a monster to her Frankenstein… Sure, he seems to hesitate between right and wrong, the nature of the two etc etc. But, really, I have troubles relating to a character questioning the nature of man when that character is so plainly a psychopath himself.

I’m sorry. I said it.

Did I love Snow in this book? Sure. Even when he was being bad, I loved him. What’s not to love? He’s completely over-dramatic. All the time. He’s a complex character with Draco Malfoy vibes and who tries to do well by his family. But he is also sick in the head and that predates Dr Gaul’s little mind games. Can we argue it’s because of his traumatic childhood? Maybe. It doesn’t change the fact he equals love with possession, does not seem to experience remorse nor guilt – or at least not very long and he’s very quick to rationalize it – and has a natural ability to mimic or force himself to act as is expected in any given situation. He doesn’t react to things, you will notice, he behaves the way he thinks people expects him to.

So, he is sick. And since he is sick, the whole debate through his head about the nature of violence, men being beasts without laws, freedom versus enforcement, right and wrong, etc seems void.

Let’s leave that aside for now.

The question you will probably ask me is: did you like the book? And the answer I will give is yes I did. I did enjoy the book. At least the first two third of it.

It’s fast paced, it’s engaging, it’s easy to read…

What I like most is the worldbuilding. What a difference a 3rd pov makes… I mean we finally got all the world building we deserved. And the names. Actually, there were so many names in there I’m pretty sure she threw them as a joke. But, yeah. Everything I reproach Thg was fixed here: we have a more consistent idea of how the Games work out of the arena, we know the currency used is dollars (which we didn’t up until now), we have a better idea of how the Capitol works as a society, about the working of Peacekeepers and Districts… I quite enjoyed learning more about the 1st war and the post war world too.

I also enjoyed the Capitol families Cameos – and I was very wary about them if you read some of my posts pre-released. They were nice nods, it wasn’t too on the nose… I am relieved beyond measure not to have seen a mention of an Abernathy or a Trinket – or an Everdeen or a Mellark, I guess – mostly because that means we are still free to stick to our own hcs. (it’s not that important but still).

The cast of characters were all great – with two notable exceptions but I will come back to that.

I loved Snow’s family. What a surprise to find out Tigris is a Snow? But what joy she is. I really enjoyed her character but I have to say I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t get to see (or at least were told in the epilogue) how they grow apart or how she comes to have whiskers. The Grandma’am was an awesome addition too. Lucy Gray, the Coveys, the Peacekeepers, Sejanus, the other mentors… They were great.

I will argue that maybe Lucy Gray, as a main character (second main character? She’s the yin to his yang in this book) could have been more fleshed out because when it comes down to it, she seems to float around in the story only in relation to Snow. This being said and the pov being mostly Snow’s, it’s coherent with his egocentric view of the world. And I’m sure a lot of people will argue the case that her only purpose being to die so he can get over love is a bit problematic better than I could.

The two characters that I think were disappointing were the “villains” of the tale: Dr Gaul and Highbottom. They were actually so disappointing that I spent a good portion of the book convinced that here was some kind of secret plot, that there would be a conspiracy or something. But no, they were just that… flat.

Highbottom first: the creator of the Hunger Games who, obviously, didn’t mean to and ends up doctoring himself with morphling to forget. And seems to hate Coryo (yes that’s Snow’s nickname) for no obvious reason. I was sure there must be some twist but no, it just turned out he hates Snow because his father stole his Hunger Games idea to pitch it to Gaul for a grade and now he’s responsible for the death of kids. Which, I mean, is valid. But since it’s only here to bring into contrast the “is Snow really bad or have the circumstances make him bad” when, really, he’s a psycho, it ends up being very disappointing on discovery – never mind as the final reveal of the epilogue.

As for Gaul. Is she terrifying? I mean, for a young adult book, sure, I guess. She’s too obviously mean and crazy scientist for me though. I like my villains a little more subtle. She spent her times torturing her pet rabbit and various animals ffs. All she needed was a mustache to twirl. She’s cliché and, again, I’m sure it was like that for rhetoric purposes but… She’s Frankenstein and Snow is her creature, we get it. Why though? She takes a shine to him and proceeds to groom him so he can deliver the world she wants? So he’s her legacy? Because she’s a psycho too and she needs an apprentice? I thought that part was a little fishy because, at the end of the day… I don’t know, it seems a bit random.

But, I suppose, yet again, everything has to revolve around Snow in the book and in Panem.

And we’re touching to the part that annoyed me to death, that really really angered me and that, right now as we speak, I am a little disgusted by.

A short word first about the fan service. And there was plenty of that to go around. All the little wink wink, nudge nudge made me smile at first (like the grandma saying it only takes a spark for fire to catch, that sort of things), it was subtle so it worked. But as the book goes on, all the references built to the point I was sort of terrified Katniss would end up being related to Snow. And while she is not, I am fairly convinced she’s descended from the Coveys, it makes a lot of sense.

Ok… Where to start with that part and be coherent…

The less offensive (yes, I am using that word because it was offending to me) thing was Snow’s recurring reflection about the mockingjays. On hindsight, of course, it has so much more meaning than what is going on on paper, so it made sense and while it was a bit sold too thick, it was also interesting. That’s something I’m willing to grant was good.

I also liked the “it’s not over until the Mockingjay sings” saying. To be honest, I was 100% confident the epilogue would be a flashforward to the end of MJ and that quote would somehow come back into play but apparently not, that’s for us to fanfic instead.

Now, as for the rest… I am going to speak as someone who loves Haymitch Abernathy an unhealthy amount, and while I speak as someone who loves Haymitch, I also feel it is only minorly about Haymitch and a lot about Katniss, Peeta and the rest of the victors. But Haymitch is my favorite character in the series, Haymitch is a big part of why I have dedicated so much time writing fanfics and contributing to the fandom, I am very protective of Haymitch. And, on his behalf, I am so deeply, deeply offended.

In this book, Suzanne Collins makes Snow a victor.

We can argue the semantics. Naturally, he didn’t actually win the Hunger Games.

Or does he?

Because there are no winners, only survivors and by that very definition Coriolanus Snow is a victor.

Coriolanus Snow walked into an arena, was forced into the arena.

Coriolanus Snow fought in the arena.

Coriolanus Snow killed someone in the arena.

Coriolanus Snow walked back out of the arena.

He survived.

It makes him a de facto victor. He is actually literally called that a couple of times throughout the book. It’s reinforced by the idea that mentor and tribute are a team, even.

And this very idea that Snow is a victor, has been a victor all along, is so deeply, deeply upsetting to me. The bond between victors, it’s something very special, I feel. Victors share something nobody else can understand – my very favorite part of the whole series is in Catching Fire when they hold hands, it is such a strong emotional moment, it always moves me, always. And Snow being a part of that defiles it. Worse, that means a victor was actually the one imposing such horrors on other victors all along.

And that’s… I mean, probably in terms of themes and the story as an independent object, it’s all very ironic and dark and full of great meaning about man and it’s condition. But for someone who loves Haymitch, it is very deeply offending to learn the man who has taken everything from him went through the same experience he did, that they share that bond, that they have so many similarities.

Too many similarities actually. And here we are going to branch out on TBOSAS in relation to Katniss more specifically.

That’s another thing I am not sure I liked: how similar Snow’s conditions were to our beloved characters. The starvation, the very similar experience they had growing up.

At first, I didn’t mind it. I thought, even, that it was quite fitting. But the problem came when so much of Katniss’ story was being… stolen, turned around. It started feeling like this book was subverting the powerful story in THG, not just the main plot, but everlark, and the character building. So, of course, here again, it’s probably a matter of questioning if, stemming from the same conditions, you become a hero or a villain. Nature or nurture. That sort of things. And, again, it depends if you look at the big picture and analyze it calmly or if you react with your guts as a fan, I guess. Yeah, no surprise, I’m going the fan route.

So there were a lot of parallels to Katniss.

The starvation. The strong sense of family. Lucy and the singing…

And it wasn’t limited to Katniss, it touched to everlark too.

The star-crossed lovers thing comes to mind obviously (and I want to talk about the ship too but after). Then, there was the bread thing that was both Snow’s and Lucy’s favorite and the fact that Snow brings her food all the time. The poison in the arena we can land at snow’s door since it’s his weapon of choice, but still poison in the arena, my mind goes straight to the berries… (I will tackle the hanging tree song after)

At this point (before she goes in the arena), I was still mostly okay with it because I thought it would somehow have a reason later. Like either Katniss would turn out to be related to Lucy or it would remain light enough to turn out to be foreshadowing for THG.

Then came part 3. And that’s where the book mostly lost me.

There are eleven other Districts in Panem. So why Twelve? And if it had to be Twelve why pollute everything Katniss loves? How are we supposed to see those things the same way again when we know what we now know?

The meadow? The meadow where the toastbabies are dancing and running? Where so many people are laid to rest? Snow has been there, kissed his girl there. And let me tell you, as a Haymitch fan, knowing that Haymitch never gets to reunite with his girl in the meadow because of Snow, it’s a special kind of pain to read Coryo frolicking there in the grass “with his girl”.

And then, of course, I don’t know what is worse… The lake or the song?

Let’s start with the lake. Where do I begin? The lake that is so special to Katniss? The little shack where she stocks everything? The lake that features into so many fanfictions and that, if some people feel the same way I do, can never be used again the same way? So, that lake was where Snow murdered (possibly) his “love”. The lake, thus, becomes a part of Snow’s narrative.

It’s stolen away from Katniss.

And to better stress that point? The scene with the Mockingjays taking up the hanging tree when Lucy is about to get murdered. (let’s make a digression to say oh boy how fun it must have been for Snow during mj, I’m very tempted to fanfic THAT). It’s all very full of symbolism, of course, but with the hindsight? It’s another great important moment stolen away from Katniss. Highjacked. Not unlike a mutt, actually. This book is a mutt XD

Which brings me to what really, really made me angry: the hanging tree song.

That song is so symbolic of MJ and everlark. I mean, there’s one thing I will give MJ the movie and that’s this scene with the song. The people attacking the dam and getting butchered while humming that song? Iconic. But more prosaically, book based, that song is such such a powerful moment. It’s special. And not only because of all the thing with everlark and the tree and midnight.

And suuuuure there might be a lot of symbolism in that song being not strictly about but still intimately related to Snow. Sure. But you know? It’s also another thing that now is about Snow. So even as Katniss was singing that song, getting the Districts to rebel, showing Peeta that District 12 was gone, letting the Mockingjays by the lake take up the chorus… It isn’t just about hope or freedom anymore. Now, it’s about Snow and about how terribly ironic it is this particular song comes to be his demise, how it’s fate or karma or whatever you want to call it. Because now, we can’t unread this book, we can’t unknown what we know.

And I hate that.

Because Katniss’ journey in THG? It’s now so deeply linked to Snow’s story that if you take a step back and think, it’s more all about Snow than it is about her, or her sister or the Districts. Snow lands on top, right?

And you know what really irks me?

The book is actually good as a character study book (not really so much as dystopia because in terms of actual plot, I feel there was really little) but it didn’t have to taint so many elements of THG the way it does.

Let’s say for a moment Snow isn’t Snow. Let’s say he is a wealthy Capitol fallen from grace and that character who is not going to be the President of Panem has the same journey Coryo does. Let’s say at the end of the story, he moves on to become a famous Head Gamemaker or a close advisor to the President?

Well, the themes explored then remained the same, the conclusions remained the same. We lose the visceral signification of his connection to the mockingjays but is that really important? The Hanging Tree now has a resonance for another character in that world, the meadow has probably seen countless lovers reunions and someone killed someone else at the lake, those things happen. The problem is they happen to Coriolanus Snow.

And baring that, let’s say we keep Snow as a main, why did it have to be Twelve? Again, there are eleven other Districts in Panem. He could have come to the very same conclusions in any other place.

Twelve is only relevant in relation to what happens in THG, to Katniss, to Peeta, to Haymitch.

Lucy and the Covey could have ended up stuck in any other Districts. It didn’t have to be Twelve. It didn’t have to spoil the Meadow, or the lake or even the Hanging Tree song.

Is that why Snow hates Twelve so much? Is that why he kills Haymitch’s family even if it’s completely stupid and leaves him without a leash around a Quell’s victor’s neck? Is that why he bombs the Districts into complete oblivion ? Not to punish its victors but because he so intimately hates the place? Because he walked in their very shoes? Because, for a brief time, from his Frankenstein’s experiment, he played in the mud?

For that matter, is that why he has this weird relationship with Katniss? Because she reminds him of Lucy? The similarities are there if you look… Is Katniss a sort of ghost to him? Come back to haunt him after all those decades? Is that why it feels so personal between them?

I will say a quick word about the ship: I was into it at first. Then there was this scene at the zoo after the snake attack on Clemmie and I felt everything started going downhill from there. The ship is rushed. They go from attraction to love in ten seconds FLAT. I know it’s YA and concessions have to be made (although I will argue I read plenty of YA and some ships don’t seem this juvenile), I made them on account of the fact they’re both young and prone to being drama queens.

(I’m making a brief parenthesis because, rereading this, I realized I did say when the book announcement came out and we all very obviously predicted the romance, that as a hayffie fan I hated the thought Snow would have a Capitol/District romance, but on that account, I have to say after reading I don’t even care because it felt so immature and so not actual love, that I don’t feel it really counts? But at the same time, it’s definitely something I have to think upon in terms of hayffie and Snow because would his own experience play in the way he sees them/manipulates/threatens them?)

All in all, though, that ship didn’t convince me. I couldn’t believe it was real. On either part. On Snow’s part because I’m not certain he’s capable of love. He equals love with possession, “his” girl, she “belongs” to him, he liked her better locked in the zoo because he knew where to find her, he constantly questions Lucy’s loyalties… Every time she sings something, he’s like “is it about me? Is it about me? It’s not about me? Who is it about? I hate her. She’s dead to me. Oh but now she’s singing she’s over him. So I love her again”. Being in his head is a journey, let me tell you.

As for Lucy, it’s frustrating. But with Collins, I learned long ago to be frustrated (hey, hayffie fan here XD. You know the two characters you need to build your own hc about if you want to use them with some depths). You can feel there’s this whole backstory about her but we never get to really touch that and so we’re treated to this very strange scene with the ex-lover but we don’t really care because there is no passion, nowhere… In fact, as a character, outside of her singing, her being a show girl, and her little discourse about how man should be free, live and let live yada yada yada, Lucy’s character is very flat in the third part of the book. She’s here only to allow Coryo’s character development.

I would argue that Sejanus actually makes more of an impact on Snow and the general plot than she does in part 3 – or, if you think about it, in the book in general. Lucy is the trigger that gets Coryo’s reflection starting about the hunger games but it’s really Sejanus that challenges it and keeps it going. Sejanus is, in fact, the District character since Snow keeps telling himself the Covey aren’t really Twelve.

I also want to say, on a completely unrelated note, that the constant mansplaying of songs by Snow was unbearable. And that’s not his fault. So, Mrs Collins, I know how to interpret a text thank you. And I’m sure everyone else does to. It broke the pace and the emotion so much for me when he started randomly explaining. The Lucy Gray ballad was the worst. “she’s dead.” NO KIDDING SHERLOCK.

And while we’re in that Lucy Gray thing: very subtle foreshadowing here, btw. Didn’t see it coming at all.

Ah and also something that made me cringe and that I felt was very out of place: the livestock cars and the cages at the zoo. Not to go all social justice warrior but when I read, it immediately hit home and not in the right way. It felt like a prop to stress how inhumane and racist the Capitol was being, they were easy references to loaded terrible horrifying history events and I truly, truly thought it was borderline because, like I said, it was used as a prop.

To conclude.

Is this book great? Yes and No.

I think if you take it independently of THG, it’s a very good book. It’s interesting, the characters are compelling, there is a moral for you to reflect on… It’s not the best dystopian book I’ve read in recent years, it’s not the best young adult book I’ve read in this lockdown (Hi, do yourself a facor, check out the Shadow of the Fox trilogy and then come shout at me in my ask box) but it was still a good read. And I forgot to say but the first half of the novel is actual crack. It was hillarious. Might not have been the intent but come on. It was funny. (and I’m satly they sent him in the arena but they sent him with a can of pepper spray and that will make me laugh forever) I had a good time and, at the end of the day, that’s what you ask of novels.

However, in the general context of the series, loving thg as much as I do, it tainted some of the iconic things, twisted them, insulted some of my most favorites characters, and that really dampened my joy and made me angry. So as a fan… I’m not sure I can say it was great, no.

It certainly didn’t let me indifferent though and that’s already something.

And, I mean, it is so much better than the cursed child I feel I cannot complain too much.

It also does leave the door rather open to a sequel, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another announcement soon.

#tbosas spoilers #tbosas #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the ballad of songbirds and snakes spoilers #balladspoilers #spoilers #i read stuff #namely abosas #abosas spoilers #book review #I did my best to correct spelling errors and such #but i've spent the whole day reading and my eyes are killing me

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popculturebuffet · 4 years

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Loud House Reviews: Racing Hearts

Welcome back errbody. Continuing the Salauna trilogy with Racing Hearts. We’ve already seen the cute asking them out story , now comes the actual first date.. which ITSELF is massively important. Keep in mind even though Nick fully supported L is for Love and the crew put a lot of work into it given how good it turned out, Sam easily still could’ve vanished into Limbo. For it’s first 2 seasons loud house, the show HAD continuity: Once Ronnie Anne and Bobby moved away to set up their spinoff, there was an episode with Lincoln’s friends trying to help him deal with missing her in the first ep giving any of them besides Clyde focus, a trend that would continue, they still showed up via video chat or in person where waranted and there was a full episode about Lincoln’s group of friends trying to help him deal with it... which also reminds me of a smiliar episode of ned’s declassified that was really damn good but unrelated to this... seriously that show is underated and I hope with the Netflix deal it shows up there. Anywho back on the show we’re actually talking about, the show didn’t really have arcs, thigns that carried from episode to episode.. until Season 3. Season 3 is where the show REALLY hit it’s stride, with it now fully being an ensemble show and more continuity injected int, not interfering iwtht he show’s episodic nature but making it feel like events had meaning. Stella was introduced in “White Hare” and later got a full introduction that i’ll no doubt cover with “Be Stella My Heart” and afterwords rather than being forgotten entirely like the show used to do became part of his friend group in their episodes. Lynn SR. was revealed to have quit his office job to work at a restraunt and was working on opening his own, which while only a two episode arc, lead to the opening of Lynn’s table in the finale and it’s stuck around since. And Leni got a job at a clothing store she’s kept since and friends at said job who’ve shown up since. See i’m fine with a show not having heavy duty continuity or serilzation, some shows thrive there but I love it when shows do this: even if it’s not all about plots, things progresing or being followed up on makes the show feel more vibrant and keeps it from stagnation in my book. And as as show with a bunch of girls at dating age, it was invetivible theird’ be recurring romantic arcs, hence Chaz is mentoined as dating Leni, if not given any real focus so far hopefully that’ll change, while Luaan, in this episodes pairing brother, and most importantly Luna got followups on theres. And thus that brings us here to racing hearts,where nick earns the praise they got from l is for love by following up on it and showing in no uncertain terms the two as a blossoming couple. I get to the actual episode under the cut:

We start with Lori being upset the bathroom is being taken up.... and that brings up a small issue I have: .. WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE BATHROOM FOR 10 KIDS. I do assume Lynn Sr and Rita have their own, and that it might be hard to put another one up there for plumbing reasons, but it still seems WEIRD to not have more than one up there or close to the stairs so that it dosen’t take 50 years for 10 children to get ready. And yes I said 10, Lily has a diaper and isn’t potty trained yet and any cleaning up or getting dressed, when needed, falls on Rita or Lynn Sr. But still it’s a LOT to ask for 10 children to share share one bathroom peacefully and it’s only through the power of not wanting to spend an animation budget on it that the bathroom isn’t a constant disaster area. Anyways it’s actually Luna who, to her sister’s shock, is in a facemask getting ready to go to the Royal Woods Astonishing Quest with Sam for their first date. Naturally the other two are excited, and Luna, despite her usual nerves, is actually incredibly stoked and feels it’ll go perfectly.

At any rate, she’s happy and Lynn comes in to kick everyone out to scrape off her callosuses instead of you know... having Lucy leave their room or doing it while she’s not there, butttt that little detail is actually a tell for later so fair play to you. Plus Lucy may just understandably find int gross and Lynn dosen’t trike me as good at picking up after herself. As it turns out to no one’s shock, Lynn was banned last year for being a sore winner and rightfully so as we see in flashback, but she’scome to terms with it... wink. But they agree to leave as the louds need to get over there anyway. Cut to the ASTONISHING QUEST.. which turns out to be a scavenger hunt with admitely a great name. Seriously someone use that. But we see tons of returning charcters including Scootst, Pop Pop and his girlfriend, and...

...........

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I”d apologize for thatbut I feel that way any time I see the little weirners face. Be glad this dosen’t happen every time he shows up. On the bright side he looks as dead inside as I do whenever I find out he’s in an episode, and Zack looks the same amount of dead inside.. probably because he realized a filing cabnet would’ve been a better partner. A review of your choice for the first person to get that reference and send it to me. Thankfully my extesntial dread at seeing a Rusty cameo is lifted when Luna meets up with Sam and the two are awkard dorks together for a second as they figure out what greeting to do, settling on a handshake. It’s fucking precious. We then meet Royal Wood’s Mayor, voiced by Shirley! Now if she’d just show up on Ducktales already. Though hearing her reminds me I should do some Harvey Beaks reviews at some point... anyways, she announces the quest and Clyde and LIncoln make a fist bump while Lori and Leni stare down their parents like their about to start brawling in the streets then and there. What.. what have you guys done to each other over the years at these things? I want to know the history there. Have astonishing quest show up again in another season. I”d also love an Brooklyn Nine Nine style heist episode with this show . Anyways, the rules are laid out: Each team is given an evelope with a clue, standard scavenger hunt contest stuff, and have challenges at each location to complete. The first team to finish wins the key to the city.. er a tiny trophy with you did it on it. Honestly that last one’s better anyway. Anyways after from trashtalk from Scoots and her partner Helen, who seems oddly familliar, we’re off! The first clue is easily figured out by Luna and the two old ladies quickly take advantage of Luna saying it loud where everyone can hear it by heading off: It’s off to Lazer Maze , the local Lazer Tag. The guy there gives them their challenge: They need to get 500 points to get the next clue. Luna takes to it like a fish to water and easily tags Lisa and her friend Darcy... another nice little cameo. And it also shows something I like: not only are all the louds except Lynn, whose banned, and Lily, whose a baby, are competting on their own. And only Lori, who pops back up in a bit and Leni,whose partnered with her are plot relevant, but the episode easily could’ve left them out or used extras for the other teams but wisely decied to instead use characters we’re familiar with. It adds a nice touch that makes this feel like an actual event and make sme wish the show did more townwide events like this. Stars hollow it up. You have a fun character in the mayor, who was hilarious in her one minute here, you have your taylor. Just give her a quirky sidekick and have fun with it. Granted I want every series to have a little gilmore girls in it, but still. Anyways Sam botches it and instead of shooting the golden girls shoots Luna by accient, though by the next cut they have their points, and the lazer tag guy encourages them anyway. Sam apologizes not being good at Laser tag but Luna happily shrugs it off: While she enjoys it it’s not for everyone. Anyways it’s Luna’s turn to be confused while Sam easily figures out the clue: IT’s off to the farm. And if you wanted the exact oppsite of my reaction to a Rusty cameo...

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Yeah while my reactions to Rusty is “Why haven’t you died on the way to your home planet yet?” My reaction to Liam is pure joy. He’s like this generation’s stinky peterson and I love it and has a nice enjoyable personality instead of being my own personal Kahn. Anyways LIam’s challenge is to get Eggs from the chickens. Which Sam does easily.. Luna however is nervous to start despite Sam’s reasssurances.. before totally freaking out. To be fair though, chickens can be downright terrifying. Just look at Poyo

And why yes that is a chicken hell lordd whose also a cyborg bisecting santac lause. And why no, you are’nt getting any more context than that, go read Chew. Anyways theys till have enough eggs to complete the challenge, if now splattered in egg and with Liam disapointed with their shenanigans, but being a professinal about it. Total pro. Anyways, Sam is just as ready to brush it off as Luna, noting farms just aren’t for everyone. I also like this plot in general because while it has the series habit of “thing happens again and again and again then climax” it’s used to flesh sam out a bit. While she is there to be Luna’s love intrest, being a love intrest dosen’t mean a character can’t be good or fleshed out. Just look at tom from star vs the forces of evil for a good example of that. Anyways it’s once again Luna’s turn to figure out the clue and we’re off to Werk It Dance studio.. I gurantee it was going to say twerk it but nick was like “oh honey no. “. The name is just awkward otherwise. Or maybe i’m just old. Also the twins are there. Just a nice thing to note and two characters I THINK are from an episode I haven’t watched yet but read about. Anyways, Luna’s pumped while sam has “oh crapbaskets” written all over her face and quickly does terribly. This one however is .. not as easy to brush of. Not liking going to farms or laser tag is easy, there just things not to do on dates. Not dancing.. is hard when your both musically inclined people whose taste in music is why you met in the first place. While they try to gloss over it, it’s clear this is an issue and worries them both. Moving on you know the drill at this point: Sam gets the clue, Luna dosen’t, we’re off to rock climbing. Sam utterly loves it while Luna is terrified. Moving on We cut to Luna, whose sitting down feeling depressed, aka my natural state these days, when Lori and Leni show up. Lori even gave her a cute backpack for the quest.. that has a leash attached. I’d say it’s a bit extreme but i’m half convinced this happened at some point and is the reason Leni dosen’t wear laces.

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Luna is of course spiraling because it turns out she and Sam don’t have a lot in common. Lori however gives some really good advice: Turns out she and Bobby hit some of the same problems and she just suggest they both try embracing things the other person likes. Even if it dosen’t work, shocker given the episode is far from over yet, it’s not bad advice and I like that in relationsihp based episodes it’s Lori who tends to be the one helping out, having the most experince to deal with that and a, at least by this point early Lori could be a bit TOO asholish sometimes, really solid couple. And if you read this before I apologize because for some reason Tumblr decided to EAT A THIRD OF MY REVIEW FORCING ME TO REWRITE IT. And yes i’m ranting a bit but in my defense I worked hard on this and to have most of it chewed up through no fault of my own pisses me off and thus I needed to rant a bit. Back to the review! So Luna tries Lori’s approach while Lori runs off to find Leni who got off the leash.. again. SHe’s probably just going to sniff some ground, eat the plants,she’ll be finnne Lori. Anyways Luna and Sam go to the local health smoothie shop, the kind of place that is my nightmare for people like me with Orangutan bods but makes sense Sam would be into, and the next challenge is identify what this smoothie is made of. I”ve played this game before: my guesses were fish bones,chicken bones, and dry bones.... seriously the glass was just purred bones. I never bought a smoothie from that guy again.. mostly because someone called the cops. There’s a lesson in that. Luna however spits hers out. IN a break from formula the next activity is for Luna to come sail away, come sail away come sail away with Sam.. whose actually a pretty apt sailor. You can guess the rest. Luna botches it, they still get the clue, yadda yadda time for the sad part. The two have an honest discussion abotu the fact that despite chemstry being there, they seemingly have nothing but their music in common and are diffrent people, with Luna glumly resolving to finish the race as friends and neither being happy. WHelp my heart just broke, next episode. So Mayor SHirley from Community greets the girls at the final challenge: A bake off... because apparently just being the first one there wasn’t good enough... then again i’ve seen far worse rule changes by a far smugger canadian man so i’ll let it slide. Thankfully the universe throws the two a bone: Neither can bake. What follows is a damn adorable scene: The two touch hands and blush over butter, before working in synch.. and Sam then procedes to cause their pie to explode in her face.. I could’ve phrased that better, but Luna giggles at it, Sam playfully tackles her giggling insues and the two end up on the ground, smiling at each other. Also Helen and Scoots win. Who cares. Luna realizes from this that she was an idiot to suggest giving up so soon, and proposes they simply try to find things they like together rather than focusing on their diffrences. Because as a coked out cat who sang a duet with a coked out Paula Abdul once said: If things go wrong we make corrections, to keep things goin in the right directions, try to fight it but i’m telling you jack, it’s uselss opposites attract! By the way the show really dropped the ball not having Luna mention this song titles in one of her song refrence things she does this episode. Anyways the two decide to start dating and then hug. My heart.. it’s too full. We end the episode on the reveal Helen is Lynn, a nice payoff for earlier as Lynn rides off on her elderly partner in crimes scooter into the sunset while Luna and Sam giggle and look on. Like any great love story. And we’re out. Final Thoughts: Okay second time around with this, and it’s a great ep. The repetition hurts it SLIGHTLY, but Sam and Luna’s chemistry helps the episode as does it’s terrific aseop: You don’t have to be exactly alike to love a person, or like the same things.. as long as you connect, and TRY to find things you both enjoy, you’ll be fine. The episodes also helped by plenty of nice little cameos, showing off the series new grasp on continuity, and Lori being Luna’s advisor and Lynn naturally being the douchey rival to them and everyone else. Overall a solid ep that was a natural step forward and set up a good status quo for Sam and Luna. The next ep dosen’t feel as natural a story step, but is still a nice one and the one that insipired me to take the leap and review these eps so join me next time as our faviorite couple bond with some cats and get into some scooby doo door shenanigans with “The Purrrfect Gig” Until then later days.

#the loud house #saluna #sam sharp #luna loud #lincoln loud #lynn sr loud #rita loud #lori loud #lynn loud #leni loud #bobby santiago #scoots #reviews #pride month

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amazildoessomethingstupid · 5 years

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Chapter 96: Unspoken Rule

Man I thought it would be a lot longer before I did another of these, but as it turns out I fucking hate in between pages. Y’know, those pages between the actual good and interesting shit? Y’know the parts that are in between the fun parts, but you have to have them to actually move characters to the good parts? The parts that are boring and filler? Yeah as an artist/writer I hate those too and it took me most of the week to come up with a page to make it not boring as sin. Sadly this means, ANOTHER RANT! And this time we are taking a look at Unspoken Rule. But before we do, I’d like to share with you the bit of panic that set in and what kind of pressure I had on me when trying to force an update. For a second I thought that this rant was going to be about…

And I was very, very, scared.

Thankfully a friend notified me that I don’t know how to count, so we’re talking about this chapter instead! Boy what a relief that was, I thought. But it seemed a bit disappointing. I hadn’t heard anything of this page, seems like it’ll be a short rant. That won’t do. So I figured, “hey if there’s not much to say. Fuck it, we’ll do a double feature with the carnival…”

Sadly, I have something to say.

And we start with a good lighthearted joke. Although, that expression in the first panel throws it off a bit. The dialogue on the initial read says snark and sassy, but the face says honest concern, but then we show it is snarky. So the face is just, confusing. Not worth kicking up a fuss about, but definitely a headscratcher.

Anyway, on to what’s actually happening. Which is Mike is being nervous and back and forth about wanting to talk to Lucy and apologize. And it’s so weird to me. This is such a serious plot point, and major conflict in the story, yet this is played for laughs. And not even good laughs, just hollow jokes it feels almost tasteless. But not as tasteless as this:

BIG OOF

Alright guys, see this?

I am absolved of this being uncharacteristically brash and open. If Taeshi can do that kind of rudeness, so can I. Lucy is just so cold now, it feels bad. Not out of character, not unrealistic, just…bad.

But moving from that, we get into these two. And…

Awww…th-this is actually pretty sad. And engaging.

HEY! I SEE YOU REACHING FOR MY HEARTSTRINGS! YOU STAY THE FUCK AWAY!

But seriously, this a very nice scene. It’s kind of touching, and it’s a moment I wish we had more of.

It’s…actually very nice. The characters are finally airing their grievances, and we’re getting somewhere. I…I actually like th-

OH YOU BACKSTABBING, HACK WRITING, BITCH! ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!

WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?! WHY ARE YOU STICKING YOUR DICK IN A GAS STATION MILKSHAKE?! BITCH,

ARE YOU FUCKING F’REAL SHAKES RIGHT NOW?! WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU FEEL THE NEED TO ADD THAT?! THIS JUST DESTROYS ALL IMMERSION, I ALMOST FELT SOMETHING THERE FOR A SECOND! BUT THEN YOU HAD TO DO SOMETHING SO DUMB! THIS ISN’T EVEN ON THE CHARACTER, THIS IS A STRAIGHT UP WRITING ISSUE! EVEN I WOULDN’T DO SOMETHING THIS DUMB! IT’S SO OUT OF PLACE! IT GIVES ME MENTAL WHIPLASH CAUSE I HAVE TO DO A DOUBLE TAKE TO MAKE SURE I’M NOT JUST FUCKING SEEING SHIT! AND YOU KNOW WHAT’S THE WORST PART ABOUT THIS FUCKING PANEL?!

IT’S IN THE PRINTED BOOK! Taeshi saw this, drew it, posted it, and got whatever feedback from it. Then later came back, saw it, and edited a bunch of things for the book, and decided, “No that’s fine. We’ll leave it there, that’s perfectly okay.” And just left it there! WHY?! You had a good scene, an actual honest to god, good scene. And you had to just make a dumb joke, and ruin the whole mood. This is the sort of bad run and gun cheap gag sort of shtick that you’d expect to see from Volume 1! Except, even Volume 1 knew when to take itself seriously, and maintain that serious tone! I mean imagine if this happened in something like Zach’s talk with Lucy.

Any good graces this scene had, in setting up these two working out their problems and moving in a nice direction is thrown out the window now, and for what?! What’s the purpose? Why would yo-

Oh…Oh no…

Please, have mercy! You already stabbed my back, please don’t stab me in the heart! Please, not like this!

Aaaugh, no! Not like this! Poor Rachel! It’s not fair I can’-

Wait….

I-is…Is that it?

Are you kidding me?

That’s it? Two pages? Really? That’s how you’re breaking it off? This is how you’re going to stab me? Look, there’s like 3 more inches left in the knife, come on. Push it deeper. Twist it, I know you want to. WHY ARE YOU HOLDING BACK? FUCKING WORK THIS SCENE AND MAKE ME CRY!

NO FUCK YOU, WE’RE NOT MOVING PAST THIS!

YOU WROTE RACHEL’S BREAK UP. IN

TWO

FUCKING

PAGES!?

YOU WROTE OUT ONE OF THE MOST GROUNDED, HEALTHY, PRODUCTIVE RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR COMIC IN TWO PAGES LIKE IT WAS NOTHING! WITH A HORRIBLE ONE-SIDED DIALOGUE, WHERE RACHEL IS TALKING TO PAULO WHO HAS SUDDENLY INHERITED THE EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING OF A BRICK WALL! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT AFTER EVERYTHING YOU DID IN BUILDING THIS CHARACTER’S ENTIRE ARC AND DEVELOPMENT!? AFTER TRANSFORMING A CHARACTER WHO WAS PORTRAYED AS UNLIKABLE, BITCHY, ANNOYING, SLUTTY, AND DUMB.

To fleshing her out, to be deep, thoughtful, caring, and supportive. Rachel is my favorite character, and it’s not because she’s a slut it’s because she represented something in this comic that had been absent.

Natural character development. That wasn’t brought on by some big event shaking their entire core, and changing them. In fact, one of the best things about Rachel is that despite how differently her character’s reception is from Volume 6 compared to Volume 1, her personality, her attitude, and her core is mostly unchanged.

She’s still slutty, she’s overweight, she’s silly. But a big part of why I love her as a character, and why I think many others do as well, is because never does it seem to be a negative to her. We don’t see her get upset, or self-conscious about her weight, or her sexual behavior, because she’s confident in herself and accepts herself. Not only that, but she’s shown to take charge, stand up and not be afraid to call out what she sees is wrong. And outside of her character…

She was a role model for Paulo. Unlike Jasmine whose relationship was more Paulo bending himself to fit her lifestyle, Rachel was a character who accepted and supported Paulo’s lifestyle, but at the same time helped steer him to do the right thing. And in a comic where almost every fucking character is so intent on dancing around their issues and waiting until it blows up in their face, Rachel served as an example of someone who had it together. A proactive person, who didn’t want to see these characters get worse.

I have ranted and gone off on a lot of decisions and actions that these characters have done, but not once did I ever scratch my head or think twice about something that Rachel did. Her character didn’t need a bunch of insight, and excuses about hormones or “they’re teenagers, lol!” to understand her. She simply was who she was, and I respect that.

In short…

Despite everything that my history with this comic gave me, the feelings I developed from all the bullshit that has happened in this story, despite all of that. It was this one character, what she brought to the table, and what she did for the comic and its characters, that gave me something I thought I’d long lost, and never thought I’d ever regain.

She gave me hope in this comic. That it would finally have its characters be proactive, regain its humor, and bring itself out of the slump it made for itself. With this character, and the writing behind her, I believed Taeshi was finally on the right track, and was setting up something great that would grow the characters and build upon them naturally.

But that’s not what we got. And the real bitch of it is, this could’ve been a real emotional moment. A well executed front-stab. We knew it was coming, we saw the writing on the wall, but we still needed to face the music. It was set up to be a wonderful tragedy, where both parties are well aware of the futility of their relationship. They understand each other, and why it won’t work, but also don’t want to let go. And I was going to make a comparison to Two Kinds, because they had a similar scenario with Trace’s wife and the whole idea of moving on is a recurring theme… But looking back I realized something. I don’t need to bring a comparison to Two Kinds or someone else’s comic, and no I’m not even going to draw a comparison of what I would’ve done in this situation by drawing a comparison to False Idol’s future scene (although I was thinking about that). No, we don’t need to look too far because you know what the real sad part about this is?

We’ve had this conversation before.

And just look at it. Look how heartbreaking this is. This is how it should’ve been. You see that Paulo understands what she’s saying, he knows what she means and how bittersweet their relationship is. It is one of the best moments from the newer volumes, and their inevitable breakup should’ve been a turning point. It should’ve marked a big life-changing moment for Paulo. Where he is sad about how he’s making Rachel feel, but he’s unsure about his own feelings. Maybe Rachel makes the decision for him and breaks it off, and Paulo realizes how hurtful his behavior is, and that he can’t play games with people anymore, that it’s not fair. It could be the moment Paulo turns a new leaf and becomes more mature, and in seeing that; Rachel can let go taking some solace in knowing that he is a better person now.

But instead we got this…

We’re not even halfway through this god damn chapter. Well where is it taking us now?

Huh…and it seems that the writing is not going to change pace either, I wonder where this is going.

Oh boy, everyone’s getting into teams! And oh man, Lucy’s going up against Mike! And boy is this contrived. And what’s even worse, is that despite how much Taeshi has shunned Volume 1 and its stupid sense of humor, and how shoddy it was. Volume 1 wasn’t THIS contrived, and when it was, it was pretty tongue in cheek about it. In fact!

This sounds like something Volume 1 would MAKE FUN OF. But let’s give the benefit of the doubt maybe it’s not that bad. It might have something going on, an-

(It’s interesting, I think I have like 3 reaction pics of Sam trying to shoot herself, but this one just can not be matched. And it’s not even meant for the rants.)

You know what? I’m not even gonna bother going over this part. No one will be seated during the harrowing “Will they won’t they” inconsequential dodgeball fight. Although I will say,

Not gonna lie, that actually got a laugh out of me. Good job. Anyway, Lucy catches the ball and wins the game who cares. But then…

First of all

Look at those arms. Damn Lucy what happened? You’re looking like two toothpicks in a marshmallow. But more than that. Did I read that right?

Yeah! It’s not like you stopped practicing Martial Arts! Why would you? It’s not like you had some serious physical trauma happen to stop you-

OH WAIT!

RECOVERY PERIOD? PHYSICAL THERAPY? PFFFT WHO THE FUCK NEEDS THAT? YEAH SURE, YOU’RE TOTALLY FINE AND CAPABLE BEING A FUCKING BLACK BELT IN TAE KWON DO. SURE! NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT! WHAT THE FUCK ARE STITCHES AM I RIGHT?

But I’m just combing cotton here, this all just fluff. There’s really only one thing left to talk about here.

And I’ll be honest.

This.

Is…

Pretty good.

This is honestly really well done. There’s nothing I can say about this. It’s a very serious moment, I can feel Taeshi reaching for my heartstrings but I…I’m okay with it. This was the moment I wanted to see. Finally these characters air out some of their grievances. We get insight to how they feel, we are finally getting somewhere. It’s not nice, but it’s progress an-

…

THAT’S THE TH-….

*sigh*

Fuck you too, Taeshi.

Three times.

Three fucking times in one chapter, that you set up something good. Had a good thing going, and then decided to fuck it up at the end. That’s a new record. Even when I expected nothing out of this chapter, you manage to let me down. You astound me with how much you disappoint me. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were doing it to intentionally troll me. But I’m not that vain. Fuck you Taeshi, I’ve said this before but always with the tone of hyperbole, and a bit of optimistic cynicism. But this time I really mean it. I have no more faith in you as a writer. Whatever you come up with, however this ride ends. I don’t think you will pull it off anymore. I don’t think you have the competence to tie this up in a proper way. At one point you could’ve. At one point, I think you had it in you with the mindset, the creativity, and the emotional drive to tell a well-crafted story. But not anymore, and I despise what you’ve become. Let’s get this stupid chapter over with.

What’s next? What are we doing huh? What are we getting at?

Oh…

I see. This is where we’re going huh? That’s what all this was for?

ALRIGHT! Y’KNOW WHAT? FINE! I GUESS THIS IS WHAT WE’RE DOING BOYS! THIS IS THE NEW DIRECTION FOR BCB! LOOK! SHE CALLED PAULO CUTE! OMG THE SHIP IS SAILING, DON’T YOU GET IT? IT’S JUST SHIPPING! THAT’S ALL THAT MATTERS! THAT’S HOW WE’RE DRIVING THE PLOT!

FUCK ALL THAT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, THIS IS WHY RACHEL GOT DROPPED! IT WASN’T CAUSE OF CHARACTERS NATURALLY CONCLUDING RELATIONSHIPS, IT’S ALL BECAUSE LUCY’S HERE AND WE CAN’T HAVE PAULO’S RELATIONSHIP WITH RACHEL CLASH WITH THAT! SHE’S OUTLIVED HER USEFULNESS! NOW IT’S ALL ABOUT PAULO X LUCY, OR PAULO X DAISY WHICH IS IT? THIS IS THE REAL DRAMA YOU ALL ARE LOOKING FOR! THIS IS HOW WE REALLY MOVE THE PLOT AND CHARACTERS! CHOO CHOO BOYS! ALL ABOARD THE SHIP! LET’S JUST GO ALONG FOR THE RIDE WHERE WE GOING TAESHI? I’M READY! I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING LEFT TO FUCKING LOOK FORWARD TO OR LIVE FOR! SO COME ON, WHERE ARE YOU SAILING US?

I give it a 2/10. Until next time, guys.

#Bittersweet Candy Bowl #rant

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gellavonhamster · 5 years

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thoughts on ASOUE Season 3

from someone who remembers the last four books (except for TGG) quite badly - I think I have to mention this at once. Overall I really enjoyed it, but to me, it was a season of bringing everything to the max - an expression which here means "some parts being absolutely perfect but some parts also being completely ruined". More detailed review under the cut.

Things I loved:

Acting. The main kids have developed into really good actors; their performances were outstanding. It is difficult for me to determine how much of Sunny is CGI and how much is actually Presley Smith, but she was as adorable as ever (I LOVED how sweet and pleased her face was when she suggested pushing Olaf overboard). Malina Weissman and Louis Hynes delivered a lot of emotional scenes and showed the inner conflicts faced by the Baudelaires perfectly (also, remember how we speculated about why the Baudelaire siblings never really cry on the show? Well, there was a lot of crying this season and I cried with them, too). The rest of the cast was also splendid. Kitana Turnbull is still nailing it as Carmelita, Lucy Punch is still an amazing Esme, Tony Hale is still a great Jerome. Neil Patrick Harris's performance this season included a number of heartfelt scenes I wouldn't even think the show version of Olaf capable of. Usman Ally's performance, together with additional character development, was more than I could ever wish for Fernald, one of my favourite characters. Really, everyone did great.

I agree with the review that said that in this season, children are finally not overshadowed by adults. The adult characters (Kit, Fernald, Lemony, Dewey) still get more to do than they did in the books, but they do not take up as much screentime as Jacques and Olivia or the Quagmire parents. It is truly the kids (the Baudelaires + Quigley + Fiona) who are in the focus. As it should be.

When I say that something in a book/film/show made me cry, it is often an exaggeration, but I literally wept when Sunny was persuading Violet to leave her in captivity as a spy. Especially when Sunny tied up her hair the way Violet does, and also when she showed that she learned to be brave from Violet. It is my favourite moment of the season.

Quigley. I can't say the Quagmires are my faves, but it's still a pity that the show made Duncan and Isadora (to my mind) pretty bland. Quigley feels like a much more fleshed-out, interesting character than both his siblings combined - brave, resourceful, but also a bit reckless. And he's the only Quagmire who has the right hairstyle (well, at least he looks very much like the Quagmire triplets in the illustrations for the translation I've read).

Fernald and Sunny shared the cutest moments of the season. Yet still - I thought that when Fernald threw the cage off the mountain, he knew it was empty, but even if he did not, it wouldn't be completely out of character for him to sacrifice something he cares about to win Olaf's respect. Loved the Cinderella parallel and how Fernald is a messed-up version of Sunny's fairy godmother. Also when he found out she was poisoned and took her in his arms T_T

The interaction between Fernald and Fiona was exactly what I hoped for, they're ride or die for each other since the very moment they're reunited

Jerome/Charles and Babs/Mrs Bass! I'm choosing to believe both Jerome and Babs survived the fire (I mean, Justice Strauss managed to escape, and she was on the freaking rooftop!) and reunited with their respective love interests. Here for the implication that Charles is now running the lumbermill on his own after Sir fled - maybe it will finally become a better place of employment.

I dreamed of Bea II and Lemony sharing root bear floats and I cannot believe I actually got to have this

Kit and Lemony having some scenes together!

The first shots of the Hotel Denouement... very pretty, very aesthetic

I liked how it is shown that the Denouement brothers still care about one another despite their ideological differences (the way Frank and Ernest are both clearly grieving during the trial!). Another thing I liked was how at first they made it seem like Kit is dating the wicked brother. If I haven't read the books, that would've been a big "holy shit" moment.

The Man with a Beard but No Hair and the Woman with Hair but No Beard were properly menacing, and making their beard and hair essentially the same but upside down was brilliant.

Some of the theories they chose to make true on the show are the ones that I believe to be true as well (e.g. Lemony being the taxi driver in TPP, The Man with a Beard and the Woman with Hair being Olaf's chaperones/guardians, Olaf and Esme having murdered Carmelita's parents).

Lemony carrying around photos of his siblings :(

When Violet closed Olaf's eyes, I cried again.

Things I hated:

I propose we all agree that Ish is lying about being the founder of VFD because he hasn't seen new faces in ages and finally there are some new castaways whom he can bullshit about being more important than he actually was and stroking his ego. It became clear a long time ago that the show doesn't give a damn about the canon timeline, but VFD being that recent does not make sense even in the Netflix-verse. What about so many VFD buildings, the underground repurposed as secret tunnels, the whole city being shaped like the VFD sign? It couldn't have happened that fast. What about Kit saying she hadn't learned to hang glide until she was seven? Does not sound like a regular thing to teach a child. Also it means that All the Wrong Questions cannot be adapted for the screen because then the Netflix-verse would contradict itself. The VFD was introduced as such a huge, omnipresent organization, and in the end it boiled down to, like, a group of too ambitious students letting their teacher fill their heads with nonsense The Secret History-style? Ridiculous.

The only things I liked about the opera flashback was how dashing everyone looked (I think this was Esme's best look in all three seasons) and how happy and careless and relaxed they were while Beatrice was singing. In all other respects it was a trainwreck. I am not upset that on the show it didn't happen when the characters were kids because I do not have a strong opinion on what age everyone was then, and because learning that your friends and your girlfriend killed your parents sounds like a traumatizing experience no matter the age. But that's the thing - on the show, it didn't go down like this. The horror of what happened was downplayed by reducing the number of victims to Olaf's father only, by not mentioning Kit's involvement at all and turning a premeditated murder into manslaughter. And where's Bertrand? Olaf blames both Baudelaires but we are shown that he saw Beatrice and Lemony with the darts. It isn't even implied that Bertrand made the darts himself for this purpose specifically because Esme has the same weapon. And how does it all tie with the masked ball scene in s2? Kit writes Lemony a note saying that "Olaf knows" - of course he does, he fucking saw them! Why did Esme have the sugar bowl with the antidote with her at the opera - was she just casually drinking tea with this rare and precious substance to overdose and gain superpowers? What about the sugar cubes left behind - was there also some regular sugar in the bowl to, idk, make it seem less suspicious? An absolute mess, in my opinion.

To continue the previous point: Bertrand seems like an absolutely unimportant figure, his role minimized to a minute or so on the island, and he deserves better :(

This is small in importance but I really disliked that Kit said that Violet ties up her hair just like her mother while in the books it was her father, no matter whether Kit meant Bertrand or Lemony =/

Also, like. Taking "or she!" from Fiona and giving it to Violet. Didn't like that. Neither did I like Fiona calling Phil Cookie.

IIRC they also gave "It's Herman Melville" to Kit instead of Klaus? Why

Larry was a recurring character who had a lot to do in s1 and 2, yet his death (and a horrible one, he was literally boiled alive) was presented in a quite an offhand way. I'm not saying he should've necessarily stayed alive - in fact, his death fits in very well with the motif of all decent adults eventually getting killed - but, in my view, it should've been given more weight.

As I've already mentioned, I don't remember The End that well, but everything about Ish and drugging the islanders seemed significantly less scary than in the books somehow

The shot of Duncan and Isadora was clearly copy-pasted from TVV... listen, if you're giving them a 100% happy ending, at least do not half-ass it

Things I have mixed feelings about:

I loved the Kitlaf stuff; probably showing that they were together in the opera flashback makes it less of a revelation than in the books, but I thought all their shared moments very moving. I also found it an interesting choice to make each of them recite bits from both poems, thus pointing out that Olaf once was not a stranger to love and romantic poetry and that Kit might share his ideas about "man hands on misery to man". However, I think it's a pity that Netflix eliminated all hints at Olaf possibly being Bea's father. Even if he was not, the possibility of it being true in the light of the Baudelaires still raising Bea with love and care is, to my mind, very important.

Jacquelyn being R... well, we saw that coming. Her mother's death being so recent is another "fuck you" to the canon timeline, but at least it explains why in the previous two seasons nobody called her the duchess - officially, she wasn't one yet. I don't perceive the show as an extension of book canon - to me, it is just one interpretation among many - so this reveal hasn't changed the fact that I imagine R being different from Jacquelyn. On the one hand, I am happy that one of my favourite characters made it into the adaptation (yes, one of my favourite characters is a sum total of comments made by other characters and a possibly fake letter, what of it), but I would've preferred if her portrayal included more of what we know about her from the books, such as her being close to both Lemony and Beatrice.

By the time s3 aired, I had already reconciled myself to the fact that the show version of Kit will be extremely toned down, so this disappointment was expected and therefore not that strong. I think there were some moments in which she actually was more of her book version (recruiting kids to fulfil dangerous tasks like it's nothing special, telling Lemony he should return to VFD), but of course this definitely noble, action-hero, composed Kit who looks forward to becoming a mother and leading a quiet life with Dewie on some island (wait, did they mean the Island?) is significantly less interesting than morally grey and depressed Kit who took part in many dubious or outright sinister plans (such as the Anwhistle Aquatics fire and the murder of Olaf's parents, in which both she was not even involved on the show) and did not seem to care about her baby that much. It is truly ironic that Mr Poe repeatedly accidentally calls her Jacquelyn because show!Kit feels very much like a Jacquelyn 2.0.

My first impression of Fiona was "oh no, they really gave her all the flaws her stepfather had in the books". I ended up liking her because she worked on her behavior and most of the times she was rude it felt like she's just trying too hard to convince everyone, herself included, that she's got this while constantly being unsure and confused on the inside. But her weird rivalry with Violet still rubbed me the wrong way. I'm glad they resolved their issues in the end.

The sugar bowl containing the antidote is an okay choice (timeline inconsistencies aside), but 1) I would've preferred it to stay a mystery, like in the books; 2) I still like the "this bitch empty" theory more.

There was more of VFD being not entirely noble in this season (e.g. the Medusoid Mycelium) but of course it is still a very watered-down version of what this organization was like.

Listen, I'd be lying if I said I hated the happy ending for the Quagmires and the Widdershins. Heck, my favourite post-The End headcanon is that they all (and Hector!) survived the Great Unknown and stuck together as one big family of choice. But what was the point of showing us the Bombinating Beast Great Unknown and, most importantly, having someone mention that it is a metaphor for death if it is not used as such? It is a metaphor, it does not necessarily mean that they literally died, it could just as well mean that the Baudelaires simply never learned what happened to all these people. A wasted opportunity.

I assume the Baudelaires never got separated from Bea in the adaptation (since she does not immediately ask Lemony about them but proceeds, on the contrary, to tell him what happened to them) and the reason she searched for Lemony was simply wishing to get to know her uncle. It's not bad, it fits well in the more optimistic narrative of the show, but the original story is still more interesting.

That's probably all - at least all that comes to my mind at the moment.

On the whole, I think Season 3 and the show in general were rather a good adaptation than a bad one. Most importantly, I think it succeeds in performing what I consider the main function of an adaptation - making the audience interested in the source material. I am sure more people will read ASOUE (and ATWQ, and other Snicketverse books) after watching the show. I am also sure those who will read after watching the show first have a big storm coming.

#asoue spoilers #asoue #a series of unfortunate events #snicketverse #asoue season 3 #talk talk talk #gella talks snicketverse

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justanearth-boundmisfit · 6 years

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Supernatural - Paleyfest Red Carpet From SpoilerTv

Couldn’t help myself, this is so full of bs. Big sigh, breathe, read:

(under the cut some extracts from the interview, with some things highlighted by me. Long post, and a few bitter thoughts)

Bob Singer Q: What keeps you excited about the show? A: We really make an effort to keep it fresh. You see the show from year one, it’s so much a different show now in terms of mythology and where we’ve taken it. And every year after we end a particular season, we end on a cliffhanger, which we really don’t know where exactly we’re going to go next season. Which is challenging for us. We’ve always managed, I think, to keep it fresh. If we couldn’t keep it fresh, I wouldn’t be here that long. We’ve seen the guys grow into these parts, the recurring actors… there was Misha, Mark Pellegrino, Mark Sheppard for a long time. All terrific, they play these characters for the show, and it’s enjoyable. That’s the big thing. It’s still fun to do, and I feel like every year’s a new challenge.

Brad Buckner

Q: Have you got a favorite of the episodes that you’ve written? A: I did like how “War of the Worlds” turned out because of the evolution of Lucifer from being this pure monolithic evil character to one that discovers the possibility of being a father and what that’s like and experiences being human in a weird way. He’s never had any empathy for human beings. And the fact that he was disgusted by human beings is what got him into so much trouble to begin with. And now he’s kind of discovering the idea, the subtleties of that and it was an interesting idea to play with.

Q: Mark Pellegrino is amazing in the role… A: He’s gold. And he throws in little things. Basically sticks to script, but every once in a while just tosses in something that is just terrific. Q: And he’s been great with Danneel [Ackles – Sister Jo] – they have amazing chemistry together. That was fabulous! A: Yes! And coming up is his first meeting with Jack, the son. And that’s going to be brilliant.

Eugenie Ross-Leming

Q: What’s your favorite episode that you’ve done so far this season? A: I’m trying to remember the episodes we’ve done… I love writing for Lucifer. He’s just so deliciously bad. I really like the last episode that we wrote that has not been shot and the one right before it that is about to be shot because they’re heading for the climax, so they’ve got a lot of blood and guts, betrayal, and heartbreak, and redemption. A lot of these characters are looking for redemption in this episode, and they’re trying to find redemption through Jack. Everyone’s got a piece of Jack. So I kinda like the last two.

Andrew Dabb

Q: And there have been so many new dimensions to the show. Mark Pellegrino has been great, and I’ve really enjoyed his chemistry with Danneel, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of them… A: Cool! Anything you give Mark he makes better, everything you give to Danneel she makes better, and I would say that’d what makes writing for them great, you know they’re going to improve anything you put on the page.

Q: Is there anything you can tease us about what’s coming up? A: There’s a really cool Gabriel episode coming up. That I think people are really, really going to enjoy. A really cool Rowena episode people are going to enjoy, and we’ll see the return of our good friend Death coming up.

Misha Collins

Q:How does it feel being on a series that’s been around for 13 seasons?

A:Thirteen seasons is amazing in any day and age. The show has been on so long now that it represents a significant portion of our lives. It’s actually a quarter of my life that I’ve been working on this show. Half of my adult life. It’s a big, big part of both my career and my personal development, and we all feel that way. Jensen, not too long ago, was telling me and Jared about a dream that he had about the last scene of the series and both of us teared up because it’s that emotionally connected to us. So it feels like we’ve won the lottery and it feels like a big part of our lives.

Q:So Castiel seems to be moving back into being a soldier again, the way we first saw him. How does it feel going back to Cas’s roots?

A: I think it is going back to his roots. I think Cas came into contact with humanity and the boys and it mitigated some of his militarism and now he is kind of abandoning that because he feels like it didn’t work. Cas, I think, logs his failures, so over and over again he’s tried things and he feels like they haven’t worked. I don’t think Cas spends much time reflecting on his triumphs? It’s more regret and loss for him, so I think that he is sort of taking off the fetters and doing what it takes to get the job done. Even if that means casualties.

Full interview is on the link above, although there’s no much left out.

Some thoughts:

So basically, it’s the Lucifer fest and redemption arc. I’m going to throw up. They are giving him a redemption arc and they are giddy with it. Yuck! Buckner being so happy with the Lucy/Jo thingy, ofc he is happy the creep! As much as I don’t like Pellegrino I give him props for changing the scene where he takes part of her grace, and refused to make the full on sex scene Bucklemming wrote! Sick fuckers! I want to punch him right in his old pervert face.

Also they are so glad for the Scooby ep! And oh boy! If we are pissed now, you have no idea how much more we are going to be after that one. There’s a comparison threw in there, that is going to make every bitter Cas fan scream murder around the world. I don’t think they are going to edit that out. But just waiting for the real ep to talk about it. Have at hand something strong to drink if you are planning on watching and you love Cas.

Misha is just a recurring role, hey! I’ve been saying for ages, that Singer doesn’t like Misha, and that they don’t treat him as a regular. Don’t shoot the messenger. I know I’m not positive with this show, but this can’t be twisted as me being bitter. It’s just what the fucker said. Also talking about Misha in past tense. And hey! If metas can read anything from a fucking color on the wall, I can make my own assumptions with what’s right in front of my face. No subtext here.

Cas going back to his roots. Really? Full powered and everything or just another guilt trip from the bros? I bet is the latter. Also Cas is going to keep killing for them it seems. It doesn’t seem that he is out of his depression at all, as some metas said was going to happen after his death. He is full of regret and loss, not my words, Misha’s. At this point in the season if people didn’t realize that they killed Cas for man!pain I don’t know what you are watching really. Misha talks about Cas giving up, and going back to his old soldier self, and that’s NOT progress! I don’t see how metas are going to twist this into happy go lucky Cas, towards the big destiel ENDGAME! I see a colder, killing machine Cas in the few episodes that are left. In the middle we have Dean really obsessed with Daphne. ENDGAME my ass. (Stop lying to people, and shippers I’m sorry you keep being manipulated like that)

Btw I still maintain that they were going to keep Cas dead. The way Singer talks about Misha sort of gives it away imho. Again, the outrage was too strong. That’s why Misha asked to film our reactions, remember that? And Mark S. liking that anti Misha tweet that said if Mark’s fans were as crazy as Misha’s, Crowley wouldn’t be dead.

I’m fuming tbh. I know, I know, I should take my own advice and just not expect anything from this show. But they just keep getting worse and worse and when they talk my head boils. It didn’t help that the girl doing the interview seemed obsessed with Lucifer, or maybe that’s what pr wanted her to ask. It wouldn’t surprise me.

All in all it is even worse that I imagined. But well if there is little Cas to see, at least I know I’m not going to be watching this crapfest.

Out.

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thenonconformistcurmudgeon · 3 years

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The Rise and Fall of Quicksand

There appears to be near unanimous support and agreement in my generation on at least one matter. Quicksand. Bring up the subject and folks will wax nostalgic with both elation and great fondness of viewing movies/TV that seemed to be replete with quicksand. Reminiscing about quicksand is a great conversation starter and will cement a bond between friends and strangers alike. A substantial survey has indicated a love and fear of quicksand for the old folks that was enlightened by media portrayals and being impressionable children at the time.

Pretty quickly, in conversation someone will remember it was important not to move if you were in quicksand as that will make you sink faster. The poor souls would panic and rapidly go under, some bubbles rising to the surface, and perhaps a hat was left floating on the top. Although not moving was a clear directive, it was not clear how one was to escape unless rescued by someone putting a long branch out and pulling you in or tying a rope around the horse saddle and the horse pulling you out.

Quicksand appeared ubiquitous and thus it was something to fear in daily life. One might fall in a quicksand pit at any moment. Old Tarzan and Jungle Jim movies would make one fear going in the woods. Trepidation would follow those that traveled out west or in a swampy area. The sense that quicksand was everywhere is backed by a survey of movies/TV shows from the 60’s and 70’s which tallies one in 35 programs having quicksand. Obviously, the viewing public couldn’t get enough Quicksand and the entertainment industry fulfilled their desires. Children imprinted with these frequent images feared for their lives as at any moment they may be swallowed up whole while walking the dog. At the same time, there was great attraction to quicksand and watching someone else fall in would have been thoroughly breathtaking.

A friend of mine confessed that he was so enamored by quicksand that he tried to make it behind his house to set a trap for monsters when he was about 7 or 8 years old. All that he accomplished was to make a lot of mud on a hillside. He slipped in it and fell on the coffee can he was using as a tool, and then went to the hospital for stitches on a hand. There are so many ways that quicksand can get you.

Quicksand was a remarkably common plot device and crossed all genres of entertainment. The first quicksand appearance was in a 1916 silent picture where a man and woman having an illicit affair go in the drink while their partners who were also moving towards immorality are on firm ground deciding whether to save them or let them sink. This early romance/drama used quicksand as a metaphor for what awaits you if you go off the proper path. By the way, they were physically saved but morally bankrupted.

Quicksand has been spotted in superhero and adventure movies, in Raiders, Queen of the amazon, Batman, Tarzan and more. Comedies like Blazing Saddles and the Lucy Show, Police shows like CHIPS, Film Noir, zombie movies, Science Fiction even in outer space such as seen in 2 Episodes of Lost in Space and Star Wars, of course Westerns, and a staple in horror films. The love of quicksand was international as a German Horror/Sexploitation 1960 film, Horrors of Spider Island had the creature fall and die in the muck. As an aside, the original cut had “Continental scenes” of bare-chested women but those scenes were eventually cut from the American and German versions. Even with those cuts, the British did not allow it in their Empire as scenes of women in their underwear or discreetly skinny dipping were too much. Apparently, there is a French version that still has the original un-edited version.

Quicksand ranged from high end Lawrence of Arabia to the lowly TV show, the Monkeys. The worst quicksand scene I have viewed took place during a Flying Nun episode. Clearly a fake quicksand pit as she goes in up to about her chest and stops sinking. I can’t imagine how desperate the writers were to come up with a plot for that week’s show but it does demonstrate how far ranging and a recurring theme quicksand was at the time. If the flying nun can fall in quicksand, so could you. Must have been considered a ratings bonanza as if the show had quicksand this week, maybe it will happen next week and fans would tune in. They were simpler times.

Few people know but Martin Luther King was apparently a quicksand fan. In his I have a dream speech, he stated, “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood’. Ubiquitous, I tell you.

Johnny Weissmuller played both Tarzan and Jungle Jim in movies in the 30’s and 40’s which had frequent quicksand scenes. As this backlot conversation demonstrates, he likely got tired of the quicksand but would be a trooper throughout his career:

agent: Johnny, I got a good picture for you, you'll love it

Johnny: Does it have quicksand?

agent: Quicksand, well of course it has quicksand, people expect you to be in a picture with quicksand.

Johnny: Don't you think I can do a picture without quicksand once in a while. Maybe something based on a Jayne Eyre novel, see me as a star-crossed lover?

agent: The public loves you Johnny, they love quicksand and they especially love you in quicksand.

Johnny: Tired of all the mud, can't you find me a clean role.

agent: The money isn't dirty, is it Johnny? You'll do it and be good with it.

Johnny: Can you ask for a hose on the set with warm water at least to wash me off. The cold water is dreadful.

agent: sure Johnny, whatever you want. I can ask but it is costly to bring warm water to the set. I'll ask.

The heyday of quicksand is now over in the mainstream media. Hollywood rung the quicksand plot device dry. Children nowadays have no fear of it which is quite unfortunate as they would be clueless of what to do in the event of a trapping.

However, research shows that it is apparently a golden era for quicksand as a fetish. Yes, you got that right. Ladies in bikinis or less going in the quagmire apparently excite some males of the species. Chose not to click on those links. Times are no longer simple I guess.

If you look up quicksand on the internet, you will allegedly learn that quicksand is not dangerous. They say you are not likely to go further than knee or waist deep. Notice, there are differing opinions of depth which is suspicious in and of itself. I learned that there is no government agency that tallies the number of quicksand deaths. Clearly a cover up. The government is keeping the truth from the population, saying quicksand is not dangerous. Local governments fear bad press of quicksand keeping tourists away. Government agents likely use quicksand pits to disappear alleged undesirables. Lawyer Sidney Powell thinks there are ballots buried in them and wants to dredge the pits in contested states. The CIA won’t let it happen because of all the bodies piled up in them. Jimmy Hoffa, obviously quicksand.

Quicksand remains deadly. Just this month a man died in an Egyptian desert a quicksand death. The middle east is obviously a hotbed of quicksand. A friend who claims to be a quicksand afficionado could not understand why he could not be rescued. Seems obvious to me. Desert quicksand is the worst type. Swallows you up quick. It’s in the desert so no trees. No trees so no long sticks to throw and for the victim to grab onto. No horses to put a rope around to pull them out. Can’t say it strong enough, desert quicksand, absolutely the most frightening type.

There was clearly a cover up in a Texas man’s death in 2016. Local newsrag reported a man missing, eventually reporting his death near a river, never mentioning quicksand. However, when police were confronted, they admitted he died in quicksand after his face fell in after his body was waist deep.

I am petitioning Hollywood to bring back quicksand in entertainment. The children of the next generation need to be prepared, properly frightened, and learn not to fight the shifting sinking sands. Without this education, I am afraid more will perish. It also seems enough time has passed since the heyday of quicksand to use it regularly again in film/TV. There can be some quicksand in the background of scenes, people falling in and may or may not be rescued or in the foreground of the action. Folks will then be excited with anticipation of who might go in the quicksand and whether they will be saved or not. Seems appropriate for pandemic entertainment. Millions of signatures for the petition will be easy to obtain for who doesn’t like quicksand. Nobody. Everyone loves quicksand.

#The Rise and Fall of Quicksand

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notthefilmreview · 4 years

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Lauren James’ The Next Together was *way* better than THE LONLIEST GIRL IN THE UNIVERSE (sorry!)

Hey, it’s Dana and it’s Monday which means a new blog post (yay!)

Today I’m going to be reviewing a book I read about a month or two ago called The Lonliest Girl In The Universe by Lauren James.

If you’ve heard the name Lauren James before then it’s probably because you might have read her book The Next Together. I may do another post about this book (despite reading it such a long time ago) but to spoil my overall view: I absolutely adore that book. The Next Together is basically the zenith of young adult novels so it’s clear why I came into The Lonliest Girl In The Universe with high hopes.

From the cover itself you can clearly see how just about anyone would want to pick up this book and read it. I, myself, ended up staying up until midnight (on a school night, might I add) attempting to finish the book because I just needed to know what happened or else it would have seriously haunted me the next day. Therefore, from that you can probably tell that I did enjoy my read.

However, don’t be mad but...I wasn’t entirely pleased. The problem was that I really started reading this book with such *high* hopes that it would equal (or even surpass) the incredibly thought out and heart warming story of The Next Together’s Matthew and Katherine (I love Matthew and Katherine so much, there is no other perfect love story). But, at the end of the day, it just didn’t suffice.

To explain why I think this way, let’s start out from the beginning with our main character Romy Silvers. In a very positive note, Romy’s character has real depth and that is quite clearly explored throughout most of the book (compared to the slightly under developed ‘romance’ plot) which, I guess if you know the ending, is quite intentional. The plot of being the daughter of astronauts who died in space and essentially being ‘the last man standing’ is very enticing for avid sci-fi readers.

(On a side note, I have noticed that Lauren James does like incorporating science into her work from what I’ve seen of The Next Together and this book and it does seem as though she has thoroughly done some background research before writing. So I do applaud that because it does make the novel even more realistic and exciting.)

I also believe that Lauren James doesn’t shy away from focusing the story on Romy’s psychological feelings after experiencing the deaths of the astronauts and then the death of her father at the hands of her mother and I absolutely loved that!

Romy’s relationship with her father seemed realistic and adorable (and I also liked how her father was British). Romy’s relationship with her mother on the other hand is where you get to the tension that makes you ask question after question, urging you to turn and turn the page until you’ve finally reached the end of the novel at three in the morning.

Romy’s mother is one of those characters you really want to have a spin-off series on because she just seems so interesting. Therefore, if Lauren James were to decide to make a spin-off based around Romy’s mother then I would like to know about her life on the way to becoming an astronaut (going to school, training, meeting her husband, her relationships with the other astronauts - particularly Lucy and Jeremy, J’s parents) up until the astronauts died, where the real psychological effects of their deaths could be explored.

At the end, she does end up redeeming herself of killing her husband by dying in the process of trying to stop J from killing Romy. There was something about that ending that didn’t seem very fulfilling because I just wanted to see more of Romy and her mother attempting to work together to defeat J, with her possibly dying in the process to pay her penance. The ending overall did seem quite rushed and underwhelming.

Now, let’s talk about the ‘romance’ aspect of the novel. So, the reason as to why I put ‘romance’ in inverted commas is because it just wasn’t exactly the romance driven plot we as the reader were advertised in the blurb. While, yes, that was most likely intentional as the story did mislead the reader into believing J was actually who he said he was - the story seemed to focus more on Romy’s past, her fears, and the burden NASA has set on her shoulders.

While J’s part of the story was essential for the plot, I don’t think it should have been a romantic arc (especially because ends up being some 30 or 40 something guy, which really did make me *INCREDIBLY* uncomfortable). Instead, I think Romy should have just seen him as a good friend and confident in the lonely space because even if J didn’t end up being a paedo, their romance was under developed and made me feel quite uncomfortable at times (but so does every YA romance so maybe it’s just the style...)

So, the twist was obviously that J was a 30 something guy who catfished a 16 or 17 year old girl because he wanted to seek revenge for the deaths of his parents. The fact that his parents were part of the astronauts who died was a compelling part of his character and I don’t knock off any points for that backstory. However, what still aggravates me is of course the romance.

(Get ready for a rant).

Okay, so even before she knew of J’s real age (and hair colour because he ended up being blonde instead of brunette after all and I don’t know why but I’m really annoyed about that) the romance did seem a tad bit...iffy. Firstly, he did tell her that he was in his 20s while she was about 15 or 16 so she is still very much underage - and that made me *deeply* uncomfortable. This is especially because their overall longing was to link up their ships (I don’t really know if that might be an innuendo or English Lit has just made me see everything in a sexual way????) and then live together - alone - in deep space, with zero adult supervision (or any other human supervision at all for that matter!)

Basically, even if he didn’t have that ulterior motive their relationship would have been creepy and I would have been deeply scared for Romy’s safety.

The last thing I want to talk about before the ending (and I saved this for last because it is both the most laughable and annoying aspect of the novel) was Romy’s fanfiction. Just the very fact that there is fanfiction (and that it is even essential to the plot) is quite amusing too me but in such a cringey way. Not to be rude or anything to fanfiction writers (because I do believe that everyone has at least read one piece of fanfiction in their life and there are many brilliant writers out there) but I just don’t believe that fanfiction belongs in novels. I feel as though once an author decides to add fanfiction to novels I end up mentally (or physically) rolling my eyes and the novel almost degrades before my eyes.

There’s a line between incorporating things like letters or emails (which is very much used in the novel as well) and then incorporating something like fanfiction; I feel as though this books crossed this line. I don’t really know how to lightly describe how much is displeases me to use fanfiction (or even the mere word ‘fanfiction’) in novels but I just think it makes the novel seem almost Wattpad-esque. There is the argument that many YA books do feel like a Wattpad book (and some are even Wattpad books *cough* *cough* After *cough* *cough*) but, again, there is a line and this book crossed this line in so many ways.

In addition, there’s also something else that I have noticed in this novel and other novels as well. It’s this recurring theme of the main character being really avidly into reading or writing (or both!). This is most likely because it does bring in the aspect of the nerdy girl in romances and the very fact that authors write about what they love - and what do they love? Reading of course! I just thought I’d point that out because I don’t really know if anyone else has ever noticed this (or if I’m just reading too far into things).

Alright, so overall the book was a lovely light read if you’re really into young adult science fiction-esque literature as long as you can handle the cringe (and if you often read YA novels then you probably can) and can stomach the age difference (so maybe the book’s for Twilight readers).

If anyone has any book recommendations for me (because that’s just what I need, I guess; more books to add to my reading list!) then comment down below books that you just adore and I might read it!

Also, if anyone’s read The Lonliest Girl In The Universe then tell me what you thought of it!

Anyway, I’ll be back again at the end of this week so follow my blog if you want to see that! Byeeeeeeee!!!!

#the lonliest girl in the universe #lauren james #romy silvers #book review #review #book commentary #books #bookblr #tumblarians #young adult fiction #novels #romance #romance novels

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asagimeta · 6 years

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What If... One Of These Witches Shouldn’t Have Magic...?

Recently the showrunners for Once Upon A Time confirmed that we'd recognize the faces of some of the Coven Of Eight witches, including witches "from fairytales and Disney lore", out of the six witches we have left (Gothel and Anastasia take two spots) I'd be willing to bet that three to four of them are recognizable in this way (it'd be really overwelming to only have one fairytale witch and one Disney witch) let's air on the side of quantity and go with four, that leaves two witches left, and wile they could be red-shirts, they could also be more than that, remember that all of these witches are living with cursed personas, they aren't going to come out of thin air, it's going to take time and effort for Gothel to wake them up, and we'll likely be prompted to care about them in atleast some capacity (even if we don't actually *like* them, we'll be interested) the two remaining witches could just be original charectors that Adam and Eddie came up with Charming's brother, Catherine, etc, but there's a second possibility too, atleast for ONE of the witches....

What if it's someone we already know?

It could be someone we REALLY already know the way we know Regina and Henry, or it could be a VERSION of someone we already know, like wish!Hook or Cinderella (remember, Jacinda is not the original Cinderella that we had in season one)

We know that 7B is going to "throw us a real curveball", there's something up their sleeves that they want to be incredibly shocking and I think it has to do with these witches, they sort of finished out the story of the curse and clearly aren't trying to make anything shocking about the Henry/Lucy situation or about Henry/Ella as a ship (they've more or less spoiled how the those situations are turning out in interveiws recently) and they don't seem to be very secretive about the Guardian, Alice/Robin, or Zelena either, the storyline they seem to be having the most mystery towards is about the witches, with Rumple probably taking a shakey second place

In addition, they keep saying that they want to really make this season difficult for our protagonists, not in a brute-strength sort of way, but in an intellectual, creative way, "Regina and Zelena have to find a third way where there are only two" (in regards to saving Henry vs Lucy), "Weaver has to lead them (Alice and Hook) without magic to wake them", out of our main conflicts they've already determined that two are intellectual based and not about brute strength, so it makes sense that the primary conflict (The witches) would also be more about intellectual solutions/conflict than simply strong magic force, plus, we're coming off of a season with the /most/ brute magic conflict we've ever seen and I doubt they want to introduce another Black Fairy this soon, it'll make things feel too repetitive when they're trying to make a refreshing season, and they might want to save the stronger magic for a later season after taking some time to build it up again

So how could this conflict with the witches- with who the witches are, what they're doing- be an intellectual/emotional problem to solve and not something that can be banished in a good witch fight? Well there's Anastasia, having an innocent child forced into this coven could be a problem, but Anastasia is a secondary charector, someone who the main audience doesn't really care about yet and who only Victoria and Ella have any emotional connection to, not much of an emotional conflict, there has to be something else, there has to be some ONE else...

Adam and Eddy are good at making us feel connected to charectors quickly, but I don't think even they could make us- and more importantly the charectors- feel really conflicted and connected to a charector that's introduced as a villain almost straight away, unless....

Unless they were someone we knew beforehand

We could have a new version of an old story charector (like the new Cinderella and new Rapunzel) who ends up being one of the witches (someone like a new Elsa, a new Wicked Witch- or even a new Glinda, a new Maleficent, etc) wich would provide us with a short shock moment like we had when we found out that Victoria was Rapunzel, but that still creates the problem of an emotional connection, wich is why I have a feeling it's more likely the second option...

One of the witches is a charector we already know- full stop

Think along the lines of dark!Emma, still Emma, just evil, we might have another one of those on the horizon, or a wish/fantasy/curse/alternate-realm version of someone we know such as the evil versions of Snow and Charming, hero!Rumple, or wish!Hook

The thing is, there aren't a ton of magic-users who we have an emotional connection to who the witch could be in the coven, people like Regina are probably ruled out because of the sheer amount of altrnate versions of her we've seen of her, I don't think there'd be any reaon to bring back ANOTHER one, especially working with such an incredible pallette of not only actors, but charectors both in and out of the show, it has to be someone who we either don't have an alternate version for or someone who's alternate version we've only seen very breifly- if they're going to go this route

Witches* who are emotionally connected** to someone from this season and fit that criteria include:

Zelena (unlikely, Rebecca Mader has enough going on playing both Zelena and Kelley- albeit self-aware and awake) Gideon (usually this would be possible, but Gothel specifically said that the witches are all women)

*Note: I only include witches because this is SPECIFICALLY a coven of witches, as stated multiple times, magic-users of different persuasions such as fairies and genies need not apply

**I say "emotionally connected" because if we're being brually honest I just don't think the charectors would care that much if they found out one of the witches was, say, Elsa, (specifically since /Emma/ was the only one really emotionally connected to her, Regina and Henry barely knew her and wish!Hook had never met her at all) so I'd hardly say she could qualify

So that's it, there are only TWO people who could possibly fit the bill, one of wich we know isn't it because he isn't a woman, and the other we can probably safely say is going to be too busy to be it, so what does that leave? It leaves us with one option and one option only:

If this theory is true, then the witch we know shouldn't have magic

Let me elaborate, we know via the wish realm that just because you don't have magic in one universe, it doesn't mean you don't have it in another (as per Snow White) so what if we're looking at someone who, in the original universe, doesn't have magic, but does in an alternate universe?

It'd be a curveball alright, it would be shocking to both the audience and the charectors, and it'd be emotional, having to strike down a villaionous version of someone you love is never easy- especially if they aren't ACTUALLY villianous (but we'll get to that in a minute)

So what if this mysterious witch- one of the mysterious witches anyway- is an alternate version of a female charector that we already know and love as an audience, and that our cast of returning charectors already know and love, who, unlike her original self, has magic? Someone like Snow...... or Belle

Something has felt odd to me ever since Belle died, Rumple just feels ... incomplete without her, it's his searching for her- for a way to die and be with her- that keeps him rounded out but how many seasons can they drag that out? Sooner or later the search won't be enough anymore and the incompleteness will start to be more apparent, plus the search for a "cure" will eventually lose it's gleam and become another dragging storyline and not a unique thing anymore, but at the same time, I have a hard time really believing that they'll just kill off Rumple that easily, OUAT wouldn't be the same without him and even in this rebooted cast it's quite clear that he's a necessary part of the storyline that can't be written out or replaced, he's too big of a cog in the weel, so I've been wondering all this time how they could keep him around without dragging their feet with finding a cure to get back to Belle, I've been wondering if they might wish!persona him like Hook or something, and then it hit me.....

What if they don't need to change RUMPLE, what if they need to change BELLE?

Emilie has a very deep love for the show, clearly, and I think it was OUAT's decision to cut her from the recurring cast- NOT Emilie's, if that's the case then she's probably open to doing more episodes, and we know from Rebecca Mader that just because you're announced as being in one episode of 7A, it doesn't mean you won't be back as a recurring cast member for 7B, not that Emilie would need to be, ofcourse, if they save the reveal for the season seven finale' or the episode before it she'd only need to appear as a guest star for two to three episodes and then hit back on recurring for season eight

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that dark!Belle would in ANY way replace or fill in the gap for normal!Belle, but it might present Rumple with a world of interesting conflicts- especially if he DOES get the cure in his hands to be rid of the darkness and go join his Belle in the afterlife, he might be struck by his sense of humanity and, just like Regina and wish!Robin, feel responsible for her- feel an inability to just leave her to figure things out on her own, he might stick around a wile to help her, guide her, teach her, etc, it wouldn't have to be romantic, but it would still be BELLE and Rumple is incapable of abandoning her- ANY version of her

To that note, magic!Belle might not even be evil, she may have been recruited into the coven against her will, or been manipulated into joining it, we've seen countless times on OUAT that just because you work with a villain it doesn't mean you yourself are necessarily evil, maybe magic!Belle was an innocent girl coming into magic she couldn't control, like Anastasia, and was taken in by Gothel to join a coven she knew nothing about, when she cast the curse, she may have been told that she was doing the right thing to stop bad people (Regina, Henry, and co) from doing *insert evil deed here*

Now ofcourse, there's an ENORMOUS chance that I'm just coming up with really random theories that won't go anywhere, and I know that, but it's still something I've been pondering, and I wonder if it might be the case...

(Also, fingers MAJORLY crossed that one of the witches will be Glinda- either the one Zelena knows or an alternate- I've always wanted evil!Glinda)

#Once Upon A Time #OUAT

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mantra4ia · 7 years

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Lucifer Season 2 Round-out

Last April, a list began that would soon pervade into every moment of my life: “Lucifer Season 2 and Beyond - Wants and Desires”. It went through various iterations…

Original Post (pre-season) / Updated post (during season 2)

Before I go into my “Season 3” post (and questions!) I wanted to make a quick capsule of my top fulfilled desires of season 2. Please let me know what yours were, or if you have questions and desires yet to be addressed.

Desires Fulfilled / Questions Answered

✔ Does Lucifer have any other brothers/siblings we should know of? While I was disappointed that Uriel had such a brief appearance, it was still very cool and developed the arc of the season a TON! Also, there’s that mention of… ✔ Lucifer should have a sister…(2x05) AZRAEL! The Angel of Death is a she, and I have many questions and speculations about her role, power, manifestation, etc ✔ Who is Lucifer’s mother? Angel, Demon, something else? You know, for a majority of the season I didn’t know whether I liked or hated the Divine Goddess mum as Charlotte Richards. She was a fun character, but very on the fence as to what she wanted and how badly at any given moment. Mostly what bothered me is her lack of seriousness, gravitas. I wanted to see the “Goddess” side of her all season. She was jailed for centuries not just for being powerful, but also vengeful, chaotic, bordering on malicious. And then I got all that in the very last episode, 2x18 “God, Bad, Crispy” and I loved it. All that resentment, brokenness, and desperation, coupled with destructive force so that I could take her seriously. And no sooner did I love her as a balanced character of humor and strength, she (as we know her) was gone! Wot?! ✔ We’ve seen Lucifer’s lifestyle, how is Amenadiel liking his time on earth? Not at all - his poor wings! But I’m really quite glad he’s found solace in, of all places, the improv club. ✔ Who are Chloe’s friends outside the force, will we meet some? Thank Dad for Maze, Linda, and Ella, and girls night #tribe. ✔ Lucifer, Trixie, and Maze on a school’s day out field trip. Trixie and Maze trick-or-treating was 100% wonderful, and as a brilliant bookend so was Lucifer taking Trix to school and them having their own little “deceiving your parents” club. ✔ Girls’ night - Mazikeen, Chloe, Linda. And not only that but a bar fight, which is also what I wanted to see more of (the females kicking butt, which I got from all the core ensemble save Trixie, who instead kicked butt with her words, as Maze said). It’s like the writers have Lucifer powers of desire deduction… ✔ More delving into the themes of what it means to be vulnerable, when it’s good and not, and recovering from betrayal from all the characters’ perspectives. Well, divorce and single parenting are pretty dang vulnerable for Chloe I’d say….and you know drudging up the past and confronting her dad’s murder. And Dan and Lucifer at the comedy club, the openness there gave me new hope for their continued BroTP. Lucifer with Azrael’s blade while Amenadiel watched as his little bro was in pain DESTROYED ME. And even Trixie was vulnerable at that Starford private school, which was super insightful for Trixstar. And Maze and Lucifer throwing down and going to group therapy with Linda. The writers really knocked vulnerability, recovery, and moving forward out of the park. ✔ Is Mazikeen going to make more progress in the friends’ department? First word: Roomies. Second word: wifey. I really, deeply enjoyed Maze bonding with Chloe and Linda (ride or die) this season, and her growing attachment to humans. ✔ Now that Lucifer doesn’t have his Pentecostal coin to play with, does he get a new toy? I never thought seeing Lucifer with a cell phone would be that satisfying. ✔ We see Lucifer always wearing a ring and Amenadiel always wearing a necklace. Will they come into play? Of course! Although, please props department up your game. I hated that Sumerian text. It looked like a three ring binder spray painted bronze. ✔ What stunts/ fight choreography are you guys thinking about for s2? Maze with a pool cue, a good amount of headbutting, slo-mo riots in a psychiatric ward, jumping off of a pier, some great driving sequences, a sniper/hostage situation, violence with a yoga mat, throw-down in a church (Father Frank’s church?), broken pianos. I can’t wait for more! ✔ Tom Ellis at the piano.“All Along the Watchtower” pleases me to no end. ✔ Scenery changes? I love the addition on the performance club and Chloe’s new apartment. ✔ New potentially recurring characters? Heavens bless Ella in all her awkward moment, ice-breaking quirkiness. ✔ Can Chloe effect other celestials adversely, or just Lucifer? Apparently yes she can. She disrupted Uriel’s pattern of destruction (2x05) I think, I could be wrong, but it came across that way… ✔ Seeing Lucifer with wings. YES! Bring on the eleventh hour cliffhanger. ✔ Lucifer’s fall? Maybe we saw a glimpse of it…depending on the context of the 2x18 cliffhanger

Things we got that we didn’t even know we wanted. SO GOOD:

Dan and Chloe are getting a divorce and in so doing becoming an even better team on the force and in life. They can razz each other more at work and be treated as equals, and she can joke with Dan “if you married Charlotte, that would make you Lucifer’s stepdad.”

Amenadiel wallowing about the loss of his wings, and the new BroTP Dandielion (Dan and Amenadiel at the comedy club)

“Cosmos are yummy” and “I like [the shape of] your head” one liners. You deserve all the praise Amenadude.

Ella’s tiny hands comment.”I’ve seen some pretty tiny manhands.” Cheeky.

Ella speaking French.

Lucifer and Maze with a taser. Superb new toy.

Lucifer being mortally embarrassed seeing his mom naked (how does it feel to be on the receiving side of nude awkwardness buddy), her interrupting his foreplay, and him having to drag her off his club stage because of her dancing. He’s essentially a teenager with her around.

Trixie’s defaced doll, and Lucifer’s sinnamon roll behavior getting her a new one.

Trixie holding Lucifer’s hand hostage as he takes her to school and bargains with her to drive the Corvette.

Chloe nearly beating someone to death with a yoga mat. “There’s a special place in hell for women…who manipulate other women.”

A reprisal of Chloe and Maze the tag team. Magnificent.

Lucifer denouncing cats. “Open box of excrement in your house? Cats,” Makes me wonder what pet Lucifer would have if he could.

Uriel playing with patterns and probability! Sweet, now help me sail my ship! (2x05)

Lucifer as an action movie fan. Not surprising, since we already know he loves cheesy sci-fi from season 1 interaction with Chloe’s mom. But still another awesome nerdy layer.

Chloe teaming up on a case with her would-be-mother-in-law. Season 2 subtitle: #EveryoneHitsOnChloe

Lucifer in a psych ward. And of course, the Linda/Lucifer break out. Though it probably would’ve been equally fascinating as a break in.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS (TOP 10):

The stunt driving in the corvette and Chloe’s car, and the surrounding circumstances of both incidents. I love the fulfillment of “I’ll never let you drive” comes full circle when Lucifer speeds on to try and save Chloe’s life, and when Chloe has to ride shotgun on Lucifer’s terms, she loses all composure.

Most of 2x13 “A Good Day to Die” but especially the X-Ambassadors “Unsteady“ montage where every character shines!

“God Johnson” - the whole episode from start to finish, because it revealed so much honesty, meta, and motivation about the Lucifer, Linda, and Mum. If I had to pick a favorite part, it would have to be when Lucifer is wheeling Linda down the corridor and she meets ‘God’ or the celestial parent trap. Linda and Lucifer get to act like fans in their own show, Dr. Martin reveals Lucifer’s hidden desire to see his family back together, and Mum realizes she loves her ex and much as she hates him.

Maze and Chloe on a case as a married couple.

The men #tribe and the women #tribe we clearly establish in the first half of the season through cocktails, bar fights, saunas, improv clubs, etc. It wasn’t obnoxious or super exclusive, it developed naturally and really served the characters.

All of Trixie’s screen time was awesome, and the fact she seems to get more of it. Particularly “you don’t have to speak in code, I can handle adult stuff (she’s very perceptive)” and “wusses don’t get lollies” and her reaction to Lucifer stealing her sandwich.

Lucifer’s final scene with Linda in the hospital, where she has the title line that once again gives Lucifer page turning insight, and he puts her glasses back on and I melt!

Amenadiel being able to slow time for the first time since his powers waned, and using it to save Linda’s life. It made me teary, and brought me back to 2x13 when he helped Lucifer by standing his ground for Chloe. (MVP on the Unsteady montage)

Ella standing up to Charlotte. Her saying “you hurt Dan, I’ll break your legs” at first came off funny, like ‘your East Coast is showing’ but with each episode I increasingly wonder if, instead of just being mellow and accepting and lighthearted, she knows more than she let’s on and there’s another side of her that we’ve not seen.

The made up dinner scene / “you look beautiful” / the trajectory of Deckerstar. I admit there was a faith wobble. I thought that the show was revving up Lucifer and Chloe, perhaps not ‘too fast,’ but too suddenly. A lot was development happened over very few episodes in season 2 (by contrast to the entire season one slow burn) that I was dazed. What the hell was going on? Then they slammed on the brakes and reversed it when Luci skipped town and I thought are you trying to give me whiplash. But now those trials and that zig zag line is actually effective in making their relationship more complex and less doe-eyed, leading up to the capstone line by Chloe about moving forward. It gives the series a Chuck-like nostalgia in that this epiphany frees up a lot of constraint: it doesn’t matter the twists, turns, sputters, or screaming wheelies of the ship, in fact all the better, so long as their eyes are open and the aim is forward.

DIDN’T LIKE (BOTTOM 10):

☒ The “Wobble” episode concept.(2x03 Sin-Eater) If I had to rate it’s strength as a compelling episode, it’s probably second to the bottom.

☒ Poor Uri, we did not know him well, but I wanted to! (2x05)

☒ The “Candy Morningstar“ episode (2x14). I like the resolution, however I thought overall it was a weak return from hiatus. It did not do a very good job of filling in gaps of Lucifer’s time in Vegas - but maybe that’s something flashbacks in season 3 will revisit.

☒ Ella, her brother Ricardo, (2x13) and their Brooklyn roots. At first when I heard Ella came from a big family of brothers - 5? if I’m not making that up - I thought “what rich grounds for parallels” Lucifer comes from a big angelic family and Ella and Luci hit it off quite well where quirkiness goes she practically like a sister, she even got him to go to church, I can’t wait to see where this goes. But then we met one of her siblings, and it felt somewhere between a front and a one-off plot point to serve the events unfolding in the case. Generally, I feel even though I really like her character, she was not used to full potential in the second act of season after 2x8. Part of the hazard of adding two characters in one season. However, I have hope from 2x17 when Ella goes off to accept a call from her brother that she’s been ‘waiting for all day,’ but it’s never revealed why and the call takes place off screen that we’re going to revisit Ella’s family and backstory in a more detailed, impactful way come s3.

☒ The Season Finale 2x18. Before you kill me - allow me to clarify. I LOVED THIS EPISODE, however it was so packed I wish that I could surgically take out some preceding season fluff and elaborate these critical details over 2-3 episodes so that they are more than nuggets. Especially because of three things: 1) The growing complexity of Amenadiel’s relationship with Dan and Mum!Charlotte. Face it: Amenadiel had an extended identity crisis this season. It was planned, and overdue, so it’s fine. But only in these last episodes did his friendship with Dan and anchor to humanity flourish, as though playing catch up to Maze, as well as his more complex, less idolizing perspective of his parents. I WANTED MORE 2) Mum!Charlotte’s relationship with Dan “you were my favorite human.” Writers - How can you drop a line like that and NOT go after it? Are you evil? Mum’s been around for millennia and in all that time humanity has been at best a perplexing annoyance, at worse a target for ire. And in the span of one or two months on Earth, the divine goddess has developed a favorite human attachment not just to manipulate as was her intention, but beyond her reasoning legit. That’s huge. At first it was so weird, and now that I WANT MORE you cut me off! 3) Mum!Charlotte was finally beginning to stand on her own as a character, only to be slightly Sparta’d into the void. Just a few episodes ago, her only significant interactions were he sons and Maze. Now she’s branched out to everyone with the exception of Trixie. (WHY ON EARTH DID WE MISS THAT OPPORTUNITY). Then just two episodes ago, she said “when I kissed [my husband] I knew it wasn’t him, and yet I wanted it to be” - BAM - and then when she discovered Lucifer’s real plan to parent trap her in heaven, and that he was too worried about the repercussions to humanity, she offered to gate crash heaven alone and spare her son - POW. And to top it off, she recognized her own latent identity crisis and accepted an alternative to go into uncharted territory, make a new life for herself without her ex and her children, to examine who she is as her own independent Goddess in a life and a universe of her own. To summarize: metric ton of progress for Mum in three episodes tops, mostly in the last one, and now she is gone to do the most interesting part of her journey off camera. AHHH!

☒ The flaming sword. It got so much build up for so little actual use, apart from opening the void. Plus side: I thought the void concept / how the sword was used in conjunction with the theme of moving forward was EXTREMELY good, but at the same time my inner child wanted more swordplay with at least the three main celestials: Lucifer, Amenadiel, and Mum. You get a sword, you get a sword, you get a sword!

☒ Excessive use of Devil Eyes. I’ll have to count and compare to see how this actually tallies up, but particularly in “God Johnson” and maybe 1-2 other times I don’t recall, I thought it was overkill. I get why Lucifer’s glow-eyes are a handy physicality feature to the story, but overall I think some cues were off for maximum impact. S1 Lucifer used his eyes and true form in 3 main contexts: 1) when it suited him to intimidate or frighten 2) when it suited him for for amusement 3) when he got really overwhelmed by his emotions - possibly because it takes concentration to maintain his image and extreme emotion can blink his focus. “God Johnson” by contrast seemed more like ‘we’re telegraphing the anger.’ Of course Luci is angry, hurt, resentful, and like a kid wants the last word with Dad. However, when you factor in his smarts/cunning, and how long he’s been planning his Dad conversation, it would follow that Lucifer is laser-focused, determined, and knows that Devil Eyes don’t hold any weight with Father. Therefore, I think there are more varied, smarter, scarier ways to show Lucifer’s anger that were underutilized this season, is voice and body language especially. Plus side: I truly enjoyed Lucifer’s form in 2x13 in hell, and 2x06 for his reveal to Linda. The lighting, 5/5 Morningstars.

☒ The pacing and balance of humor, smart storytelling, and the dramatic elements of the show felt off, probably also on account of two hiatuses. Reflecting over the whole season I’m not as annoyed as I was week-to-week. There were parts of the season where I waited eagerly for Monday only to find the comedy didn’t hit when I thought is this a comedic take on a police procedural or a parody of a comedy of a police procedural. Other times we got all the dramatic in one go and I thought Dang, where was this development when I needed it. But then I saw 2x18 and one scene made it better/sensical: Dan coaching Amenadiel at the improv club. In a strange, probably coincidental way, when Dan says “Amenadiel, that’s a little dark buddy” I felt like the writers were breaking the forth wall and saying “yes, I know, we take you on these weird tonal-emotional roller-coasters from pantomime slapstick to death and crippling guilt. We can and will make fun of ourselves now.” And I felt a burden lift as if replying “thank you for understanding that the struggle is real.”

☒ Celestial telephone tag cliffhangers. I love both of them: clever, full circle, smartly written. At the same time, I love to hate them. Twice is good. If showrunners go for a third time, I’ll take my cue from Maze and headbutt someone.

☒ I like the idea of expanding the universe by playing with the concept of the void. I think that it takes a great note from the comics. However, I’m worried it’ll be an idea that doesn’t go anywhere. As the show stands, Lucifer is so grounded in our physical world that adding a couple characters to the cast is tricky. This kind of world building? By comparison, this is God-level tricky, which is both exciting and terrifying.

Unanswered Questions / Moving Forward

See my Season 3: Speculations, Questions, Desires post.

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owehimeverything · 7 years

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SPN meme

@idontneedasymbol suggested it so of course…^_-

what season did you start watching supernatural? Caught the last two minutes of the pilot when it originally aired, perked up when I recognized "Dean" from GG, heard 'brothers', decided to check it out the following week and from then on I was a goner.

who was the first character you fell in love with? Honestly, can't recall. There were two hot, sweet, messed up, totally codependent brothers on my screen. I fell more for the relationship than either of them individually in those first eps.

who was a character that you hated at first but grew to love? Never really hated her, but was kinda meh on Rowena and now I adore her and that SOOOO better not of have been the last we see of her, I'll cry!

which character would you most want to be in a long-term relationship with? Have you SEEN this show?! ANYONE would be a sure fire recipe for disaster.

if you could go on just one date with one character, which one would you choose? Probably Charlie cause we could geek out together. Also she’s adorable.

what would you do on the date?Maybe just Netflix and chill, or for something a bit more geeky, a convention could be fun. Also get her to dish on the boys, cause she is a SPN fan after all ^^

which character would you most want to be like? Most people in this show are miserable, so um…pass? Hmm actually maybe Donna? She manages to keep an upbeat attitude even in the face of the most crazy shit while at the same time being completely competent.

which character would you most like to see brought back from the dead? Charlie, Kevin, John could make for some interesting stuff, Ruby could be fun…Rowen if she's really dead, um..yeah picking just one ain't gonna happen…

which character would you most like to punch? Metatron, hands down, no question.

who is your absolute favorite character? Sam..but with Dean, always with Dean, the brother relationship will always win out over an individual character.

which “big bad” do you think was the worst? If by 'worst' you mean one that I liked the least, then Metatron. In terms of scariest, 5th season Lucifer.

which character are you most like? Hmm, maybe Charlie for the over the top geekiness and the want of adventure? Bit of Sam with the whole younger sibling thing, touch of Donna with the bubbliness…

what death hit you the hardest? Possibly John's, watching it as it aired, with no idea it was coming. Ditto for Sam's death in AHBL, even though we were 99% sure it wasn't gonna take, at the time if I remember correctly, season 3 had not technically been confirmed so there was a sliver of a doubt.

what season finale hit you the hardest? Season 1, getting trucked, with absolutely no warning. I remember loud screams of WHAT?! all around. And then that summer wait was agonizing. I have a visceral memory of bouncing in my seat on the train home, getting funny looks from the Japanese around me, thinking FINALLY, tonight tonight, Supernatural is back on tonight, and oh let season 2 be as good as season 1! And oh was it ever ^^

what are your ten all-time favorite episodes? Eheheeh, only TEN? In no particular order and with certainty I'm forgetting at least a few: Baby, French Mistake, Sacrifice, Red Meat, Swan Song, Mystery Spot, AHBL2, Fanfiction, Home, I Know What You Did Last Summer

what’s been your favorite season? So hard…Err toss up between 2, 5 and 11?

who is your favorite angel? Probably Cas.

who’s your favorite demon? Crowley, though by the end he'd been kinda annoying me, but I do so love Mark Sheppard. Also actually really loved Ruby, because you just DID NOT KNOW what side she was on. Still sad they killed her, she could have been such a cool reoccurring antagonist.

who’s your favorite evil character? ….5th season Lucy, especially Samifer. Also Demon!Dean, okay so the boys being evol is HOT, what can I say ^^

do you have any supernatural ships? Nope, except for maybe the totally crack ship of Sam/Rowena, mainly cause I think it'd be hilarious (particularly Dean and Crowley's reaction upon finding out)

who’s your favorite supporting actor? They are all so amazing, really can't choose. The amount of talent that comes together for the show, and the way they all bond, it’s just too wonderful.

what’s your favorite quote from the show? Depends, in terms of most quoted, it's either "You married fake Ruby?" or "'They do know we're brothers, right?' 'Doesn't seem to matter!'" in part cause both those lines crack our brother up, so @idontneedasymbol and I tend to say them around him. In terms of OMG all the FEELS, between: "there's nothing past or present I would put in front of you", "I unleashed a force upon this world that could destroy it, to save you. And I'd do it again, in a second I'd do it again," "I'm not leaving you, ever." "This is my life, and I love it. But I can't do it without my brother, I don't want to do it without my brother..." I can't really decide, and the list just keeps growing. Really, in terms of OMG did they actually SAY that, are we sure this isn't actually fanfic?! this is show is the gift that keeps on giving ^^

if you could cast one famous actor in an episode of spn, who would you chose? Almost wanna see William Shatner in a role, no idea doing what, but the amount of twitter teasing he does to Misha and the boys amuses me.

if you could write your own episode, what kind of creature would you like to see included? Maybe something telepathic, can mess with their heads, sorta along the lines of the Djinn. Always do love seeing them have to battle their own psyches .

who’s your favorite girl that dean’s hooked up with? Hmm, maybe Lisa? Liked her, just always felt bad for her.

who’s your favorite girl that sam’s hooked up with? Ruby, because no matter how wrong it was (or perhaps because of the wrongness ^__-), it was so very veerrry hot (also I might have trouble sometimes separating the actors out on that one, cause these days every time I rewatch 4th season I'm just "awwww, Gen! XD" whenever Ruby appears ^^)

what are some of your favorite convention moments? Both the JIB7 & JIB8 hugs, cause c'mon, too cute! They way Jensen just cradles Jared’s head, d’wwwwww. Also in terms of hilariousness, the time Jensen just looked over and was truly baffled by the pretzel position Jared had contorted himself into and he was like "how are you even doing that?" and Jared was all "I'm bendy".

if you were going to guest star (or be a recurring guest star) on spn, how would you want your character described? Random innocent who's aware enough to run AWAY from stupid danger and lucky enough to be saved by the boys in the nick of time (though possibly just traumatized enough to snag a Sam-hug before I make it to safety ^^)

what do you hope to see in the next season? Sam being in trouble mentally/physically and Dean WORRYING/CARING for him. Also the boys continuing to be on the same page. And maybe them actually having some fun with this whole AU thing and using it as an excuse to bring back some characters, or really ALL the characters ^^

-40. if you had to choose…

bobby or john? John

bela or ruby? Ruby

jess or madison? Jess

jo or lisa? Lisa

charlie or kevin? That’s an AND, not an OR, right?

balthazar or ash? Balthazar

cas or crowley? Cas

ben or claire? Claire

jody or donna? Again, AND, at the same time, hopefully!

sam or dean? Tsk Tsk, so many of these pesky ORs. :-p

Err, whoever wants, have at! ^__^

#meta #memes #awww this was fun #good chance to reminisce XD

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citizenscreen · 7 years

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In an attempt to avoid the news as much as possible I’ve been bingeing on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Why not dedicate a few lines then to one of the all-time great situation comedies, I thought? Well, maybe more than a few lines since this one is worth reliving. Its back story is as fascinating as the show is entertaining.

Despite the show’s title, The Dick Van Dyke Show was the creation of the ultra-talented, veteran writer and comedian, Carl Reiner. After many years as a contributor – both in front of and behind the camera – on Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows and Caesar’s Hour, Reiner found himself out of a job in 1959. By the way, I just finished reading his 2013 book, I Remember Me, which is a delight. In the book Reiner recounts stories of his life and I was reminded of why I am in awe of him. The book is a compilation of funny, touching stories told by an incredibly talented man. I highly recommend it.

Anyway, Carl Reiner spent the summer of 1959 at the beach and (incredibly) wrote thirteen complete episodes of a new sitcom titled, Head of the Family. That show had a premise that closely resembled Reiner’s own life and career as it revolved around the life and work of a television variety/comedy show writer. Reiner intended the show as a vehicle for himself to star in.

Unfortunately, the pilot of Head of the Family, wasn’t picked up. However, producer Sheldon Leonard recognized the brilliance of the scripts so he convinced Carl Reiner to have someone else play the lead character. Mr. Reiner agreed but hadn’t a clue about who that someone should be.

Dick Van Dyke grew up watching old Laurel and Hardy movies and marveled at the talents of Stan Laurel, in particular. Inspired to perform and graced with a natural talent for physical comedy, Van Dyke appeared in local TV shows and summer variety programs. He eventually became a radio DJ and worked on a number of popular television shows throughout the 1950s (mid-to-late decade) having signed a contract with CBS in 1956. Despite that contract however, it seemed no one, including Dick Van Dyke himself, knew exactly how to showcase his talents. He didn’t find a niche easily, which is hard to believe today. Van Dyke was everything from game show host to morning television newscaster and was good at it all, but he still didn’t make a definitive mark. That is, until he hit the live stage and was launched to stardom in the 1960 musical Bye-Bye Birdie, for which he won a Tony Award.

Chita Rivera co-starred with Van Dyke on Broadway

The story goes that Carl Reiner saw a performance of Bye, Bye Birdie with Dick Van Dyke playing Albert F. Peterson, the same role he’d later play in the 1963, George Sidney-directed film version. Reiner knew instantly he’d found the perfect lead for Head of the Family. But, one man alone, no matter how talented, does not a successful family situation comedy make. There was another casting hurdle ahead.

Reiner cast two supporting, but important roles, fairly quickly opting for entertainment veterans, Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam – both veterans of the Vaudeville stage, musical theater and comedy. Rose Marie could do comedy and had an extensive career in musical theater, and Amsterdam was a comic with exceptional versatility for coming up with jokes on the spot, a practice he continued on the Van Dyke Show.

On The Dick Van Dyke Show, Rose Marie’s character, Sally Rogers is in constant search for a husband and her quips revolve around that desperation. Amsterdam, as Buddy Sorrell is married to Pickles, a zany, statuesque woman who is the butt of many of his jokes. Pickles only appears in three episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show but Buddy is always referring to her and she’s so good in it that I could’ve sworn she was in many more than that. Pickles Sorrell is played by Joan Shawlee who you might also know as Sweet Sue, the strict and loud director of Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopators, the band featured in Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot (1959). Well, I say “loud,” but she had to put up with Lemmon and Curtis in drag in addition to a boozy Monroe.

Back to our story – Sally and Buddy are writers under Rob Petrie (Van Dyke) who is the lead comedy writer for the fictional, The Alan Brady Show.

OK – so those characters set to go, the time came to cast the perfect Laura, the role of the main character’s wife on the new sitcom. Carl Reiner interviewed more than sixty actresses and found no one who matched the image he had on his mind for the character. Then one day Reiner’s friend, Danny Thomas gave him the perfect girl. Well, he didn’t give him the girl he gave him the idea of a girl, one he’d interviewed for his own show a couple of years before. The problem was that Thomas didn’t remember the girl’s name, he only remembered she had three of them. It was after reviewing all the records of past interviews that they came across the name, Mary Tyler Moore.

By all accounts, the casting of Mary Tyler Moore made an impact on television as soon as Reiner’s show premiered, the name of which was changed to The Dick Van Dyke Show due to the star’s popularity. Moore’s Laura Petrie wasn’t like earlier television moms. Her character was alluring, provocative and modern yet she maintained enough of the traditions to appeal to audiences of all ages. Despite the talented cast, however, The Dick Van Dyke Show was not an instant hit mostly due to the fact it aired opposite ratings powerhouse Perry Como and his variety show.

Mary Tyler Moore was a novice among show business veterans when The Dick Van Dyke Show premiered. It didn’t take long for her to start showing signs of great comedic timing in her own right, however. It’s really quite something that she stood out while surrounded with the kind of talent on that show. That’s not to mention she impressed Carl Reiner who’s one of the all-time great comedy writers in television history. Anyone else would have been overshadowed or timid, but Moore made her mark as Laura Petrie and her chemistry with Dick Van Dyke is fantastic. The two are so believable as man and wife that when the premise of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was being discussed it was decided Mary Richards could not be a divorcée as originally planned because people would be upset that she divorced Dick Van Dyke.

When The Dick Van Dyke Show premiered Moore’s role was minor, but as she began to blossom as a comedian, Reiner wrote more and more for her character to do. And boy could she do a lot. Her cry is as memorable as Lucy’s, she modernized the TV mom and she could dance and sing alongside show biz veterans in memorable fashion. Her comedic talent would make her a legend in her own right, one of TV’s all-time greats.

Audiences slowly began to warm up to The Dick Van Dyke Show, however. This was due, in large part, to the fact that Reiner began to write to the cast’s strengths. For instance, he allowed Morey Amsterdam freedom for one-liners and wrote situations where Rose Marie could showcase her musical prowess. My favorite instance is when she does the “I Wish I Could Sing Like Durante” number, which really shows the extent of her vast talent. Perhaps even more important is how Reiner gave Dick Van Dyke every opportunity to showcase his talent for physical comedy, which is superb evidenced by the show’s famous opening. You might want to take a look at a previous post I did about how that opening was conceived, The Story of Dick Van Dyke and the Ottoman. Van Dyke makes me laugh the hardest when I watch the show because his reactions and physicality are so memorable. He has a knack for making even the slightest, most mundane every day gesture into a work of art.

Other cast members:

Carl Reiner himself appears on The Dick Van Dyke Show as recurring character, Alan Brady. Brady is the star of the comedy/variety show Rob, Sally and Buddy write for. Alan Brady is loosely based on Carl Reiner’s old boss, Sid Caesar. My favorite episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show features Reiner as the bad-tempered, but talented star Alan Brady. Titled “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” the fun in the episodes starts when Laura accidentally discloses to everyone in America that Alan Brady is bald.

Alan Brady: [Talking to his toupee stands] Fellas? There she is. There’s the little lady who put you out of business.

Richard Deacon plays Mel Cooley, the producer of The Alan Brady Show and Brady’s brother-in-law. Cooley is somewhat of a curmudgeon but you can’t blame him for it as he’s constantly at odds with Buddy and through this conflict Amsterdam delivers the best one-liners on the show, many of which are somewhat cruel (but very funny) “bald jokes.” During the show’s first season (I believe) Cooley was also appearing as a regular on Leave it to Beaver, but he appeared as a relaible character actor in sveral movies. I remember him best as Semu in Charles Lamont’s Abbott and Costello Meets the Mummy (1955). It’s impossible to forget Deacon’s incredible deep voice.

Playing Richie Petrie -Rob and Laura’s only child – on The Dick Van Dyke Show is Larry Mathews who is also perfectly cast and great in the part. There are more than a few funny moments on the show when Richie asks a question and Rob nervously comes up with a response suitable for a child.

The Petrie’s also have the requisite best friends/neighbors who appear in many episodes – Jerry and Millie Helper, played by Jerry Paris and Ann Morgan Guilbert. Jerry Paris doubled as a frequent director on the show helming more episodes than anyone else at 84. Guilbert is a favorite with many fans not only for her stint as Millie Helper on this show, but also for her hilarious turn as Grandma Yetta on The Nanny. You can’t say enough about the people on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Really.

Guilbert and Paris as Millie and Jerry Helper

Aside from the quality and the laughs The Dick Van Dyke Show offers, it is also relevant in the history of the television sitcom in that it bridged a gap from the older-variety-style comedies that preceded it in the 1950s to the grittier sitcoms that would follow. It was after The Dick Van Dyke Show went off the air in 1966 that sitcoms began a gradual transition to a new era. Due to a variety of factors – the unrest in our country included – the “innocence” depicted on this show and others of its time would be replaced by relevance, to a degree – shows that made sociopolitical statements and, in many cases, dealt with social problems head on. Those are the ones I grew up watching interspersed with shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show that were available in syndication. That’s one of the reasons I believe my generation is the luckiest – media-wise. We got the best of all worlds – the classics from then and the ones that broke the mold. Of course today – luckily – you can watch these gems online. The Dick Van Dyke Show is available on Amazon Prime and on Netflix and if you’ve never seen it add it to your watch list immediately.

The Dick Van Dyke Show was honored with numerous Emmy nominations during its six-year run and won several of them including a few for Carl Reiner’s writing. No one remembers awards though. Or certainly not the public who returns to revisit these shows because they entertain not because of how many statues it won. The Van Dyke Show stood out during its run for offering a wonderful balance of sophisticated and slapstick comedy – a unique, stylish combination that cannot be equaled. The show remains a beautifully written, story-based program with well-rounded characters doused with one-liners and old-fashioned skits and song and dance routines. For classic geeks like me, it’s perfection. This is one of those we should insist that future generations watch.

The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961 – 1966) In an attempt to avoid the news as much as possible I've been bingeing on The Dick Van Dyke Show.

#Ann Morgan Guilbert #Carl Reiner #Dick Van Dyke #Jerry Paris #Mary Tyler Moore #Morey Amsterdam #Richard Deacon #Rose Marie #The Dick Van Dyke Show

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ourmrmel · 5 years

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Mel Feller Best Apps That Help You Earn Money

We all have smartphones, and almost everything we do with them necessitates using an app. Would it not it be great if you could make some extra money just for using your phone? Well, you can. You are not going to get rich by downloading mobile apps that pay you, but you can use these to earn a passive income every month. Moreover, you have to agree that something is better than nothing is!

Considering some of these apps require you to do almost nothing, just watch videos or participate in paid surveys, it does not seem like a bad deal to make a few extra dollars. In addition, they are free from the app store for iPhone or android. Therefore, to get you started, here are some of our favorite moneymaking apps:

Earn Money While You Watch TV

Certainly, surveys are not my favorite way to make money, but if you are just relaxing on the couch or guarding your eyes while being forced to watch “I love Lucy reruns”, why not click a couple buttons and earn a few bucks?

There is a bunch of paid survey sites out there, but two of the best I have found are Swagbucks and MyPoints. Companies rated A by the Better Business Bureau run both of these sites. On MyPoints, you’ll earn a $5 bonus when you complete your first five surveys.

Get Free Virtual Scratch-off Tickets

There is something that is satisfying about those gas station scratch-off tickets, but it is better to avoid them because, well, that is not making money, that may be losing money.

Instead, try scratching free using an app called Lucktastic. Each day, it releases a new assortment of digital scratch-off tickets. Lucktastic says instant wins range from $1 to $10,000. You can also earn tokens, enter contests and play games. The app is underwritten by advertising, which allows it to keep the payouts high and the games free.

Earn Cash Every Time You Shop and a $10 Bonus

I know it sounds strange, but Ibotta will pay you cash for taking pictures of your grocery store receipts.

Here is how it works:

Before heading to the store, search for items on your shopping list within the Ibotta app. When you get home, snap a photo of your receipt and scan the items’ barcodes. Ibotta is free to download. Moreover, you will get a $10 sign-up bonus after uploading your first receipt.

Some cash-back opportunities I have seen include:

25 cents back for any item.

25 cents back on strawberries.

50 cents back on frozen fruit snacks.

$1 back on a box of tea.

$5 back on a case of Shiner Bock beer.

Notice a lot of those are not tied to a brand just shop for the staples on your list and earn cash back!

Let This App Get You Lower Prices

It turns out deleting your emails could be costing you serious money. Do you want to know more? One of my secret weapons is called Paribus, a tool that gets you money back for your online purchases. It is free to sign up, and once you do, it will scan your email archives for any receipts. If it discovers you have purchased something from one of its monitored retailers, it will track the item’s price and help you get a refund anytime there is a price drop.

Build Your Savings Without Trying

Saving money is tough. So what if you could do it in a way where you would not even notice? Digit makes that possible.

This innovative app automates saving for you. Simply link it to your checking account, and its algorithms will determine small (and safe!) amounts of money to withdraw into a separate, FDIC-insured savings account.

Please Note: If you need that money sooner than expected, you will always have access to it within one business day. Digit is free to use for the first 30 days, then it’s $2.99 per month afterward.

Invest Your Pocket Change -- and Get $5

You can start small and stack up change over time with its “round-up” feature. That means if you spend $10.23 at the grocery store, 77 cents is automatically dropped into your Acorns account. Then, the app does the complete investing thing for you.

The idea is you will not miss the digital pocket change, and the automatic savings stack up faster than you would think. At that rate, you could set aside $1,000 in about two and a half years without trying.

The app is $1 a month for balances under $5,000, and you will get a $5 bonus when you sign up.

Download This App

A number of companies will actually pay you for downloading apps on your smartphone or computer this is a great way to boost your passive income!

One I love is called MobileXpression. After you have installed this app on your smartphone for one week, you get to play an instant rewards game for a prize everyone wins something. I have seen users win a $25 Amazon gift card, but some of the other prizes include iPads and Samsung TVs.

The app collects data and helps companies better understand web and mobile usage such as what times of day people browse, how long they stay on websites and use apps, and what types of sites and apps are popular or which ones are not.

Play the Slots

Are you more of the “sit at home and play video games” type of person but you’re making yourself read this because you’re determined to get this rather fun game thing down? The folks who created Long Game have you covered with a game that is fun and helps you achieve your financial goals.

As you save and accomplish missions, you will earn coins to play mini games for cash prizes! I am talking the classics, like slot machines, scratch-offs and spin-to-win wheels.

Get Paid for the Things You Were Going to Buy Already

Let us say that you have a need and now you have got a shopping trip planned already. If you have the Shopkick app downloaded, it will pay you in “kicks” just for walking into certain stores including Walmart, Target, TJMaxx and more. You can redeem them for gift cards to a number of retailers, including Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, Sephora and Best Buy.

It pays you even more “kicks” for photos of receipts that include qualifying items you purchased in-store with a connected credit or debit card. You can also earn kicks for online purchases. You do not have to do anything; your linked cards will automatically apply your kicks.

Get Rewarded for Paying Your Bills on Time

Your parents probably gave you an allowance for washing the dishes and sweeping the floor when you were a kid. Now all you get for doing it is a kitchen that is clean for, like, 4 minutes. As an adult, you do not typically get rewards for doing things that are expected of you until now.

This invention rather rules them all: MoneyLion, a free all-in-one app for managing your personal finances. MoneyLion offers rewards to help you develop healthy financial habits and will literally pay you for logging onto the app.

You can earn points in the rewards program by paying bills on time, connecting your bank account or downloading the mobile app. You can redeem those points for gift cards to retailers like Amazon, Apple and Walmart. If credit cards are not your thing, MoneyLion is like having a rewards credit card without the temptation to overspend.

The app also connects with your entire bank, credit card, student loan and other financial accounts. Based on your income and spending patterns, it offers personalized advice to help you save money, reduce your debt and improve your credit.

Find out Where You are Wasting Money

We all sign up for stuff. Sometimes it is easier to put subscriptions on a recurring payment and forget about it but that just leaves us in depression once we are not using things and we have kept making payments for an extended period.

If you cannot keep track of them all, check out an app called Trim. Once you sign up and connect your bank account and phone number, it analyzes your transaction history for recurring payments. When it finds one, the app sends you a text and cancels any subscriptions you do not want to keep. That is money back in your pocket every month!

Grow Your Money

Where you stash your money is almost as important as how much you have. Maybe in a box? It is not earning you any interest in there. In a checking account? Probably not doing much for you there, either. Even if you keep it in a high-interest savings account, you are probably only earning around 0.05% on your balance.

It is frustrating, for sure so you have to think outside your bank.

Worthy is a free app that invests your money in bonds and pays out a fixed 5% annual interest rate — around 100 times more than what you’d get from the bank. The bonds act like a savings account — you can deposit or withdraw money at any time. Say you have $300 in your Worthy account. You just passively banked $15 this year. You can start investing with as little as $10. Moreover, that is still an extra 50 cents this year.

Share Your Amazon Purchase History

This is such an easy, passive way to rake in an extra $36 a year. ShopTracker, one of the leading public opinion research companies, wants you to share your Amazon purchase history. Moreover, you will be paid for every month you share!

When you sign up for ShopTracker, it keeps your private information, well, private. All it wants to see is your order information. To earn your first gift card today:

Sign up, and download the ShopTracker app on your Windows computer and Apple or Android phone. It takes about two minutes. You will need to answer a few questions about your Amazon use to qualify.

Open the app and log in to your Amazon account to automatically share your purchase history. You will receive your Visa e-gift card code for $3 via email within 48 hours.

Take a couple of minutes to share your purchase history to earn another $3 each month.

I hope you take the time to utilize some of these great apps and have fun making some extra cash!

Mel Feller – Personal Development, Business, Execute, Internet and Real Estate Investments Coach/Mentor and Business Owner

Mel Feller was a senior staffer for over 5 years with both United States Senator Jake Garn and The Senate Banking and Finance Committee.

Mel Feller is a speaker at entrepreneurial forums training business professionals on marketing strategies and the “Secrets of Online Marketing”. He provides consulting services on all aspects of business including organizational performance, sales and marketing strategies, employee productivity and retention, successful solution implementation, technology leverage and customer service in all business and fields.

Mel Feller's areas of technology expertise include emails and social media, solution development discipline and methodology, business process leads and project management.

Mel Feller has twenty-five years’ experience with companies, nonprofits and individuals in the research and writing of both government and private grants.

In addition to his regular consulting and management responsibilities, Mel Feller was published in the Top 100 Mentors; he has published two book on "Creative Real Estate Financing" and “Multiple Secrets to Success”, and presented numerous executive lectures for Fortune 500 corporations on “leadership and business practices”.

Visit him at www.melfeller.com and www.melfellersuccessstories.com

Mel Feller’s dynamic presence, instinctive strategic vision, and creative thinking produce effective, sustainable bottom-line results for his clients. His “Can Do” attitude generates confidence in his executive coaching clients and strategic consulting corporate clients. Throughout Mel Feller’s career, he has increased the profitability of nearly every organization with which he has worked.

Mel Feller has a unique ability to relate to his clients because he came from The United States Senate, where Mel was the Chief of Staff for a United States Senator and was always meeting with prominent business people or politicians. His main love was dealing with constituents that were the grass root voters! Since founding Coaching For Success 360 In 1989, he has effectively translated that experience into results for his clients. He focuses on separating daily distractions from the real issues in order to put the executive and/or business on the right path to grow and prosper. Results are immediate, growth sustainable, and profitability long-term.

Dozens of Mel Feller’s clients have been on Inc.’s 500/5000 list and many have been named as a “Best Places To Work.

Using Mel Feller’s intuitive, systematic approach, and our proven strategic and tactical tools, we help you plan for profit.

Mel Feller believes that what gets measured is improved. Therefore, he is continually developing processes and systems that allow you to easily measure, manage and maintain a highly profitable business.

Mel Feller is ready to help you increase your sales, trim and manage your operating costs and see your profits soar and/or leverage your time for Business or Real Estate!

“Truth telling, honesty, and candor: I loved you Mel Feller! You have so much energy and knowledge! I truly hope I get another opportunity to be coached by you. I see myself a little clearer now, and it’s not so bad.”

Lisa Mathews

“Mel Feller you added more value than we can possibly see right now. Mel Feller, you are warm, inviting, and accommodating. Thank you for coming alongside us in this transition!”

Vanessa Cavanaugh

“Mel Feller the best education session that we have attended in many years! Thank you so much — I am very excited to put everything you have taught us into practice!”

Michael Randolph

“Mr. Mel Feller, Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving a marvelous keynote at our Symposium! While we have not yet collected the official feedback, the unofficial feedback was that You Were a Hit! I heard nothing but compliments regarding your presentations. Thank you for making such a positive impact on our attendees! ”

Lyle Cunningham VP

"Mel Feller uses his humor, compassion, and direct nature to help bring out the best in me. Mel Feller is committed to helping me live...I mean, really live, life to its fullest."

Jose Rodriguez

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