#my mind was blown when i watched the cain episode | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jhan-jy · 3 years

Text

Dream SMP War; Thoughts

Well its finally time for me to write this, after collecting all the events in my head and finishing my classes. Let me just start of with congratulations to the creators for making an exciting and memorable story of a simple smp, especially Wilbur who might as well be the director of the roleplay. I loved the direction and the way the smp was made to be a glorified roleplay center. The stories were in different categories of amazing, we got angst, comedy, filler episodes and more. Everyone had fun, even the viewers had fun with the journey in the smp. I love Wilbur and I hope he comes back after his well deserved break. Also for viewers to watch his streams even if its not smp related >:0

TLDR: I LOVED ALL OF IT and I wouldn’t ask for more from the creators, but I’m just suggesting a better route for the story? Kinda like a divergence au?

Okay, am I done with the praise? Yes.

TW: Mentions of Abuse, Suicide, Bombing, Killing and Dying in general.

(PS. This is for the characters not the ccs, I know they chill)

Now heres some of the things I didn’t like about the finale. Don’t get me wrong, Schlatt’s death had a poetic ring to it, but it didn’t have any support to hold as emotionally impactful to the audience. For the most part, I love Schlatt’s acting! He really gave emotion when he had his last ramble before dying, thinking Fundy was still with him before realizing he also switched sides and he just, beats him up in rage.

I mean, Schlatt actually had a very convincing sob story of an elected tyrant who has no one left, drinking away his problems until he died of a miserable death. It made you feel bad for him, but only just for that one minute.

We know Schlatt’s character had always been a drinker, that was one of his traits.

We also see him being manipulative and straight up abusive, but you know what?

Even with all characteristics Schlatt had shown to the audience, I still don’t get his depressing state of defeat. Its opposite to someone who was able to make Tubbo decorate his funeral or how Schlatt was able to make Quackity stay before the divorce.

Like come on- He just DRINKS?!!?? No plan at all?

Gear was given to him, people were trying to protect him, literally he was being an idiot according to Dream.

He could’ve had a better purpose on his final days before dying. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about Pogtopia being rigged with tnt. Schlatt could’ve hidden in Pogtopia while the battle begins outside, with troops looking for him.

He could’ve pushed the button to blow up Pogtopia.

HECK EVEN BETTER IDEA; Schlatt could have just stayed there until they come looking for him in Pogtopia, did his ramble about being left alone and all the shit to stall them.

Notice how they didn’t immediately kill him? He could’ve taken advantage of that, as they get cooped up in Pogtopia, where a push of a button could detonate the tnt. SUICIDE BOMBING everyone near. No one kills him, he was miserable until the end but this time, he actually fucking did something.

We know Wilbur would’ve pushed the button to blow up Manburg anyway, he could still do it. Give a speech about forgetting the horrors of the past, finally gaining freedom or some shit. Everything would still go according to what happened in the stream, except Schlatt had purpose and closure.

I’m sorry, I went on a ramble of what ifs and what could’ve happened for Schlatt because as good as a villain he is, his final moments were just anti-climatic in general, even with the poetic death.

Another thing I would like to include is that Schlatt didn’t die of a heart attack maybe? His drinking could’ve poisoned him or something, him being totally careless and drinking a potion of poison would be much better than a heart attack.

Another thing:

No one questions the abuse Fundy gets from everybody, and thats another issue.People have little to no respect for Fundy. This guy grew up in L’manburg, the place his father built to protect him. Now its gone, blown to smithereens by his own father, who not only said he despised Fundy but also left without saying goodbye. His “fiance”, Dream, sided with the enemy and has almost no care for Fundy. Dream was the one to provide tnt to blow up Manburg. Keep in mind, Manburg wad supposed to blow up during the festival, where Fundy was still acting as a spy. Which means he would have died, his “fiance” would be the indirect cause of his death. And dont even get me started with the last Schaltt scene where he repeated smashes his bottle to Fundy, damaging him even with netherite armor. This man needs to feel happiness and warmth for once, or else he’s gonna become another antagonist in the story. (Which would actually be great tbh ^^) Theres also Eret’s situation. He gained power and kingship through betraying L’manburg. That was his reward for betraying L’manburg guys.. now its been stripped away, leaving him with nothing at all. Pogtopians dont trust him a lot, they still see him as the first traitor. The Cain to the Abel in this story. The betrayal he committed is now pointless and dull, he gained nothing in siding back with Pogtopia. His “friends” dont welcome him like they used to, and he knows why. Right now, he’s on a path to redemption. Eret just got recently given the redemption arc pass and is now trying to do good. I hope he succeeds in his endeavors. Other characters should be given their chance to shine. I feel like with Wilbur gone, people are gonna depend on Tommy and Tubbo for a new plot. And as much as I love them, more people should be given the spotlight. Remember the little Dreamon hunters thing? Ya that but with other people doing other plots! I feel like people need to be recognized outside the stereotype the viewers place on them. An idea would be having Niki Nihachu train with other people, Techno perhaps? Or maybe just chill times of building and redstone. Dont forget the draining the ocean thing, Im sure they’re gonna come back to that. I dont really have any other nitpick of how the story went. The only thing that bothered me was Schlatt’s death and how fast it went. Anyways- This is just my opinion! I still loved the war and the storyline! This is just me nitpicking on stuff-

83 notes · View notes

you-cant-spell-subtext-without · 3 years

Photo

Hola Mishamigos! It’s Friday and I am here with more nonsense from my SPN rewatch - dudes, we are all SLEEPING on Season 11, in both good and bad ways. There is so much in just the first trifecta of “Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire;” “Form and Void;” and “Bad Seed” (since “Baby” deserves her own analysis) - so come relive my rewatch with me. This is a summary of some things that stood out for me (few are analysis, most are clowning; basically this is a pared down live tweet - you’re welcome/I'm sorry); copy/paste from the script is included with my own emphasis:

OUT OF THE DARKNESS INTO THE FIRE [11x01]

-There’s lots more to this episode, but really this is the most important and relevant part (also it’s too soon and I am offended, damaged, attacked and hurt) -

DEAN: Yeah, whoa. All right, take -- take it easy, okay? (gesturing to the deputy’s wound) Bad guys?

JENNA: Rebar. I sought cover. I fell.

***LIKE EXCUSE ME, but what in the actual fuck. Did they just decide to pull that from the episode four years later to emotionally traumatize us in the subsequent rewatches? I know it’s probably coincidence but my sad soul has not recovered *enough* for rebar’s first SPN appearance to be right now in this moment when I am blissfully 5 entire seasons away from the dead end in the road.

- The only other important part of this episode - when Dean takes the call from Cas privately first before putting it on speaker for Sam, and something about this exchange is so endearing-

(Dean’s phone rings)

DEAN: Where the hell are you, Cas?

(The scene flips between Sam and Dean at the hospital, and Castiel in the woods.)

CASTIEL: I'm...I'm okay.

DEAN: You don't sound okay.

CASTIEL: Dean, I am fine. Besides, what I have, you can't help me.

DEAN: What do you mean, what you have?

CASTIEL: Just please tell Sam -- Rowena escaped with the Book of the Damned and the codex.

DEAN: Okay, forget Rowena. Where are you?

CASTIEL: Now, you tell me -- the Mark . . .

DEAN: Oh, really? You're worried about me after everything that I’ve --

CASTIEL: Dean, is it gone?

DEAN: Yes. I'm good. I mean, I'm not great.

CASTIEL: Makes two of us. (Dean puts Cas on speakerphone) This is good news.

SAM: Hey, Cas.

CASTIEL: Sam.

***It’s just so poignant that Dean wanted privacy for the first minutes of that call, probably because he is still haunted about the beating he gave Cas in 10 and *other things,* and Cas is literally being torn apart by Rowena’s curse but he only cares about Dean getting rid of the Mark, and the world is ending but Dean only cares about Cas and where he is - honestly this scene - I’m -

***Further thoughts on the Animal Curse/Cas/Dean below under 11x03

FORM AND VOID [11x02]

(love the Genesis call back to this verse in the title - “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”)

-speaking of emotional trauma, this fucking shit again -

JENNA: Yeah. I pretty much grew up here. Learned to ride my bike down the road. Had my first kiss at that blue house over there. Lost my virginity up there (pointing to different house).

DEAN: I'll bet blue house was pissed.

JENNA: She was. (handing Amara to Dean) Do you mind?

***This frustrated/disappointed/angered/saddened me to NO END despite already knowing that it happens constantly on the show, because what was the reason?! Did they have to point out that she had a female love interest for this brief moment just to turn her evil and kill her off? There was no need to include this detail. It’s either blatant homophobia or willful ignorance (so also blatant homophobia) that this is what representation means. I won’t go on because obviously we are aware of this and much has already been said/written about it, but still, fuck this.

-we meet Billie and there is more “FORESHADOWING”-

QUEEN IS SINGING “OH DEATH” aka Death’s entrance song from Season 5 and I am BLOWN AWAY by this almost as much as her amazing voice - like did they know at this point she would become the new Death season later? DID THEY KNOW? I need answers.

Seriously, go listen to it immediately; bask in its glory:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFOm5i6b56o

We also get our first mention of the Empty, so that’s cute that they referenced both Dean’s and Cas’s Season 15 ‘demises’ in the same episode (it’s not cute really and I am crying again now) ->

BILLIE: You and Dean . . . Dying and coming back again and again. The old death thought it was funny. But now there's one hard, fast rule in this universe. What lives . . . dies. So the next time you or your brother bite it, well, you're not going to Heaven . . . Or Hell. One of us -- and, Lord, I hope it's me -- we're gonna make a mistake and toss you out into the Empty. And nothing comes back from that. I know you're dying. I can feel it. You're unclean in the biblical sense. So I'll be seeing you again, Sam . . . Seeing you real soon. Name's Billie, by the way.

-another reason for me to continue denying the flaming trash heap that they tried to call the series finale-

Sam is dying here because he has been infected by the Darkness-vein-animal-exploding-people-plague so he goes to pray about it

SAM: So . . . I know it's been a long time, but . . . Dean and I, we've -- we've been through a lot of bad. But this is different. This is my fault, and I don't know how to fix it. And if I have to die, I've made my peace with that, but . . . Please. Dean deserves better. Dean deserves a life. There are people out there, good people, who are going to suffer because of me, and I am not asking you to clean up my mess. Hell, I don't even know if you're out there, but . . . If you are . . . And if you can hear me, I, um . . . We need your help, God. We need to know there's hope. We need a sign.

**DABB WROTE THIS F-ING EPISODE. How are you going to write Dean deserves a life here to just do what you did Dabb. Don’t get me started on my feelings about this scene in the dark depths of my finale-denying soul. DEAN DESERVES BETTER INDEED, SEASON 11 SAM.

To rub salt in this particular wound, they show us THE cutest scenes of Dean with this damn baby so we can have feelings about how great of a parent he could be (also I ADORE that whenever Jared, Jensen, or Misha have scenes in later seasons with young children/babies it is SO clear they slip into their own natural dad mode without even noticing it; these guys just all seem like excellent fathers and it makes me mushy) and even Crowley picks up on that shit and makes his little ex-boyfriend joke (after Demon Dean and most of season 10 there is no way I will ever NOT believe that Crowley and Dean did not take a tumble; I will take no criticism):

CROWLEY: The child likes you. No surprise, really. You're very maternal.

LIKE WHAT IS THIS:

Speaking of King Jackles, next comes the episode he directed ->

BAD SEED [11x03]

-Cas/Dean parallels with the Attack Dog Spell/Mark of Cain-

This arc appears in the 10 finale and then runs through the first three episodes, culminating in this one. Despite it hurting my heart to see our angel so bloody eyed and feral, I LOVED this parallel; it’s truly brilliant - Cas’s reaction to the attack dog spell is such a mirror to the way Dean dealt with the Mark most of 10. It’s also beautiful that Dean is the only one that can pull Cas from the spell’s control at the end of this episode; that alley scene between the two of them in 11x02 is so tender and sweet. I like to think this brought an entire new layer of depth to their connection, because no one truly understood how Dean felt under the influence of the Mark until now (someone write a fan fic about this exchange!!!!!!) I *love* this journey for them (please say that sentence in Alexis Rose in your head). Bonus that the episode containing my most favorite of *domestic* phone calls with Dean and Cas follows this one, and also Dean’s SHORT SHORTS follow because now he is just walking around the bunker in short shorts while Cas is there and I maintain this is because of this new level of closeness. As previously stated I ACCEPT NO criticism.

ALSO OF COURSE THE FACE CUP THAT JENSEN HIMSEF DIRECTED HIMSELF TO DO. I STAN A KING. I HEREBY DEMAND AT LEAST ONE FACE CUP PER EPISODE OF THE MINI SERIES JENSEN.

***I just saw something posted by @watchthebeesandfish back in 2015 when digging around the internet re: this episode - that this was the first time both Dean/Cas had seen each other as “themselves” since that heart wrenching bridge scene in 9x10, when Dean walks away from Sam/Cas after the Gadreel possession reveal (he goes on to take the Mark of Cain in the following episode, and has it the rest of the season through season 10 finale). That is brilliant and accurate and I BOW DOWN in humility to that parallel. I now love this scene a billion times more. *single [wo]man tear* Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this little trip down memory lane, thanks as always for getting through my rambling, and HAPPY FACE CUPPING FOREVER.

#destiel #deancas #spn #spn family #spn fandom #sen season 11 #spn recap #spn analysis #spn clowning #heller #jackles #king jackles #but why not write an entire live tweet dissertation of my spn rewatch #spn subtext

28 notes · View notes

maccaillte · 4 years

Text

Alright! Time to scream my love to my mutuals no matter how cringy it is! Cause happy birthday to DBH and the funky androids in it.

@rcprobate Silas my beanie babe! You are such an amazing writer and you bring so much depth and love to all of your muses. You have wonderful headcanons for each other that really speaks to the characters. Our DBH babes have grown so much since we first started rping together, we have Calvin and Seven who are first were ready to just give up and then decided to overthrow Markus but a little thing called love got in the way and now Calvin is so soft for Seven and can’t live without them and it makes my heart so full. Seven and Rupert!! Oh made these two are the sweetest beans ever! With their babies and how much they support one another it makes me so happy. These two getting married feels like something out of a dream and its really happening. I love your Connor, sweet boy, maybe some day Sev and him will meet on better terms then whats going down between them with Calvin involved. I love you very much and I’m so happy to have you in my life, you’re my beanie babe.

@theveryfirst Heather and sweet sweet angel Chloe! Chloe is by far the sweetest android ever she gives me freaking cavities. Her love and adoration for Seven just makes me so very happy. Her little danger muffin, only a joke we get. Chloe has and is such a beautiful positive thing in their life they’ll never stop loving her and happy she loves them back. Also mama bear Chloe has permission to kick Neige’s frosty ass.

@jericholeader Becca! Markus is best boy! Amazing boy! Badass boy! I’ll come clean and say that it was Markus’ story that got me into DBH. You write him so well and he’s such a caring character, gah I love him so much. Also thank you for blessing my dash with photos of Jesse Williams. YOU HEARD ME ONCE AND YOU’LL HEAR ME SAY IT AGAIN MARKUS SHOULD HAD BEEN THE SEXIEST DBH CHARACTER IN 2018 I’M JUST SAYING!! RKs got to stick together cause who else is gonna save each other from their stubborn asses?

@erregent || @uglyanswer SHI!!! My love! Your trash man ruined me!! RUINED ME!!! Now I love this stinky garbage man and can’t believe Seven fell so hard for his ass. Watching those two grow together was the most beautiful thing, how far the two come from Gavin barely caring who they were to now he can’t believe they love him and he loves them back. You’ve written Gavin so well and amazingly I love what you have done with him. You pointed to the character in the dumpster and was like ‘that one’ and we all love you for it! Also you’re other muses are quality! You writing Cas made my dumb heart remember how much I loved this angel and went back to watch Supernatural episodes again (mostly ones with Cas cause Cas is love) Keep being you you amazing incredible lovely person. Also if you ever need some good nip prices don’t be afraid to ask what the stonks are.

@rkainine It just looks like we can’t be rid of each other does it? Wouldn’t that mean we’ve known each other or met four years ago? Take your pick man I feel old but I’m so glad we found each other again and once again have basically the same muse dynamic! Tiny sweet bby and big scary tough one. I’m so happy Cain and Seven are back and they finally got that hug! Seven loves Cain and will make baby brother see it! Don’t deny their love Cain! Not this time!

@anarmyofme I still adore you Ren! I always will. I’m very happy Seven and Connor remain friends. I’ll always treasure their previous relationship but like real like people change and move on. You’re still a wonderful and amazing writer for Connor who struggles with a lot but thats what makes Connor so amazing! You keep being your funky machine maybe not machine self!

@negotiiator ANDREW! God i love you so so so very much! Look at our bots and how much they’ve grown, the silly in love droids. Connor and Seven just make me so happy and gah Connor staying be Seven going through that rough time with their body failing. These two are here to stay forever and I’m loving all of it. Also Connor knows how frisky Seven actually is so cherish that secret >w> Seeing you on my dash is such a blessing and I’m so looking forward to Sev and Con being absolute dorks in love.

@313248317 Whats up with this little thing Con and Sev got going on i need the answers owo. But these two are super cute and so soft together, no matter what direction their relationship takes I’m here for it one hundred percent of the way! Sev always makes a happy gasp seeing you poke around in the inbox or on the dash like ‘theres my crush.’

@becomedeviant || @lightbringer I love both of your muses so much! From little shit Connor to little shit Lucifer, Ev/Sev have their hands full with these two. Seven always ready to love and protect Connor because he is baby brother. Ev and Lucifer is a surprise ship but now just makes me so soft!

@failedmission I have to just give major props to Evan’s little brother right here who supported them from day one with their baby. He is the best uncle ever and really if it wasn’t for our threads where I gather confidence in writing Evan expecting I don’t think Peach would have graced the dashboards. So big big thank you and I love you from me!

@deviatiions || @rkfinale So much love for Connor and Nines! They both have helped Seven so much and it warms my heart to see how much these two love and cherish their elder sibling. Also I love our human au angst, Peach baby will make everything alright don’t you worry! So much love and just happy emotions for you! And having a blast in ACNH, don’t be a stranger and come on over whenever you like.

@baddcop Rat stinky man! Poor Seven seems like all of our interactions always turned out bad for them but now they’re growing a spine and won’t take Gavin’s shit anymore so thank you for unlocking mouthy Seven. You have so much love and depth for the character your writing is amazing I just can’t get enough of it.

@blueroces Gah I know we’ve done a lot of discord stuff but Nines and Seven make my heart so full and happy! They’re so good for each other and just perfect! Love chatting with you when its like late at night for me but midday for you but thats timezones for ya rip. Can’t wait to keep writing more of this happy couple!

@carbonandiron Middy! I hope you are doing well and your comic is going great! You are such an amazing writer for all of your characters every single one is so perfectly written I just can’t get enough of them!

@plasticdetective the quickest love story right here folks instant connection. what helped was Connor’s already undying love for Seven and we had barely even gotten to full on plotting. He just went ‘this is my sibling i will love and cherish forever!’ and then finding out we knew each other vaguely, well you knew me vaguely, i knew you through your art was mind blowing cause here is me this itty bitty person gushing over your art and then find out later you are them mind fucking blown. I love all of our interactions so much and enjoy the angst train we got going its a fun ride. Not for Seven and Connor but fun for us!

@flcwcdcode Conall: this RK700 is mine now. Basically what happened so I guess we’re now best friends by default. Seven needs Conall in their life, keep them from doing stupid shit like a dumb kitten trying to climb something too big for them. Keep your idiot tiny sibling alive Conall.

Here are some other lovelies have my heart eyes and loves and everything as well!

@rxmodel @aurumhearts @rebellionmatriarch @designerfai @detrcitmade @wasscared @ambitiouslyruthless @rkplaced @badgeburdened @perfectmachiine @systminstablty @vexeddetective

#♛┊Saved ┊#//here take me gushing about how much i love you all in all of #its super cringe mode

27 notes · View notes

florrickandassociates · 4 years

Text

TGF Thoughts: 4x05-- The Gang Goes to War

under the cut

This episode starts with Caleb and I don’t totally hate it. This means the writers are doing a good job with him so far. I’m surprised I feel that way considering I loathe the plot he’s here for.

This is the first case heavy episode in ages and I have more thoughts on the fact that somehow the space from 6x19 has become military court than I do on the case. As always, that’s not to say it’s bad (tbh, this case was the exact right blend of simple and captivating it reminded me of old school TGW). It’s just to say I have literally nothing to add.

Lucca’s off to visit Bianca. She is still extremely uncomfortable with very wealthy people.

Oh, a mention of babysitting! Kind of sad I’m surprised.

I forgot to mention that this ep is on the shorter side, almost network length. Woo!

Lucca describes her life as “I have a toddler. I’m trying to make partner.” Remember how last season either Lucca or Rosalyn (or MAIA hhahahahhahahaahahhahaahahahhahahahaahahhaahhaah) were going to be made partner and that plot just vanished?

Lucca says that of work, family, fitness, friends, and sleep, the three she’s chosen are work, family, and sleep. I believe it. Though we’ve seen Lucca exercise probably more than most TGF characters? But that was before she had a baby.

If you leave your phone on while you’re on a plane and someone places a voice call would your phone actually ring?

Marissa TOTALLY has a crush on Caleb.

Oh, a Francesca mention AND a mention of Lucca and Marissa being friends?! The continuity fairy likes me today!!!!!!!!

Caleb threatens to quit (I think he knows he wouldn’t be taken up on that offer) unless Mr. Firth lets him take a month for this case. Come on, Caleb. This is TV lawyering. This case will take two costume changes and you know it! Months are a thing for real lawyers.

Diane and Adrian aren’t in their offices, so when Firth finds a partner to assist on the military case (I do not understand why this is a thing he is doing in the first place, but alright), it’s Liz. How conveniently awkward!

(Adrian just isn’t in this episode-- he is apparently at a conference in New York-- and Diane is barely in it, and I’m fine with that. LET LIZ AND LUCCA SHINE!)

(Liz and Lucca are my faves, if that wasn’t obvious.)

Awkward awkward awkward, fucking your boss is very awkward. I hate everything about this plot in theory and yet somehow like Liz, Caleb, and maybe even the idea of Liz and Caleb, but every time I think about the boss/employee dynamic my only thought is: NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Liz’s divorce! Continuity fairy has blessed me again!

I do really like Caleb.

I somehow almost turned that last thought into a rant about Maia and I’m not gonna do that to y’all in this Maia-free season.

Rich people are getting away with more shit in Julius’s court. He’s resigned to it, until he meets his alter-ego from the play again. I get that they want to use this device to show why he’d change his mind so suddenly but omfg please don’t remind me of the last episode.

My first thought was “maybe that long ass episode was even longer and this is a cut scene” but Julius seems to be wearing a different tie in this scene than he was before. Oof.

JUDGE KUHN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love Judge Kuhn. I think I said this last week but it isn’t often we get truly good, considered characters who want the best and actually take fair steps to see it happen. Judge Kuhn is great.

And so is the actress playing her. Her expression as the seat shrinks-- which is some Kingsian bullshit-- makes the joke work.

This episode relies a lot on that device Jane the Virgin loved where back to back scenes will be linked by a theme or a word. In this case, Julius and Liz/Caleb are both dealing with continuances. Yay for structure, even a simple case related structure!

“A sofa would have blown up here”... I can’t, y’all. “A conference table would have blown up here”. Is this a joke about coronavirus or a real need for more graphics or both? I lean towards it being a joke, but before I say that lemme play these credits side by side with last week’s…

Okay so there are differences. Last week there was an aerial view of a wine bottle exploding while this week there’s a second one in the background. They replaced an exploding coffee set with the sofa text. There are some other differences too. But not enough to convince me they didn’t have footage they could have used. So I think it’s a joke.

Welcome back, season two Diane. I missed you, ya weirdo!

(But like actually Diane is staring out the window at a bird, not doing anything or responding to questions. Why so weird?!)

Now that Diane isn’t hunting down answers on 618, she has “nothing to do.” Oh, suddenly no one in the world is in need of pro-bono assistance? Sure!

Continuity on the SWATting, too!

AND A WILL REFERENCE.This episode may be nothing special but it sure is endearing.

Diane explains that Judge Kuhn is tough but fair and Will ended up liking her. That’s a pretty good summary.

Diane spots the woman who she dreamed was Weinstein’s lawyer in a meeting, drawing dots. Guess that’s one of the drawbacks of having windows everywhere. She chases her up the stairs to STRL and asks if they know each other because, and I quote, “I had a dream and you were in it. You were Weinstein’s lawyer.” HOW FUCKING WEIRD ARE YOU TRYING TO BE, DIANE? Are you microdosing again?! (This feels so season two.)

Props to this lady (do we know her name? Has it been said on the show) for taking that weird-ass comment in stride and joking she probably didn’t do very well. She needs a favor-- she has a case in front of Judge Cain and wants Diane to sit with her.

Diane asks about the dots. Apparently this lady draws-- and counts!-- dots. Hundreds of thousands of them. During meetings. Because it’s calming and nothing matters. See?! Season two!

Lucca does get a little bit of work to do on vacation-- Bianca wants to buy the resort.

Case stuff happens.

Someone explain to me what the fuck this bright neon lighting in the office late at night is all about. Why is it so bright?! Why do the colors change!? Am I just supposed to accept this?! I suppose it’s no weirder than a woman who draws dots instead of taking notes-- and admits to it-- but WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

I know there is supposed to be some sort of parallel between the case having an element about disobeying your superior and the Liz/Caleb dynamic, but as you will recall, I hate everything about the boss/employee plot AND find it incredibly boring so if you would like to see analysis of that parallel… I’m not your gal.

Oh look I can see the office bathroom of Willicia sexytimes in Liz’s office

My god this lighting is distracting.

It sounds to me like Caleb is in the legal field for idealistic reasons. I can’t get a sense of if wanting the country to stay the same is liberal or conservative or admirable or misguided but it’s definitely something. (I have a feeling he means “stay the same” as in “return to 2016” though.)

Since she has not been in the military, Liz worries out loud that she hasn’t lived much of a life. This leads to flirting and intimacy and another hookup. Bleh.

Creeper from Kurt’s office comes to visit Julius and compliments him while basically telling him to keep quiet and be corrupt. He promises Julius the chance to move up the ladder and implies Julius should rule in favor of some rich donor.

Julius, who, like all characters on this show and maybe just people in general, does NOT like being told what to do, promptly does the opposite. And he feels really, really, really good about doing the right thing.

Case stuff happens.

Lucca now gets invited to play poker with a bunch of millionaires and celebrities. Lucca is highly uncomfortable. The names of the celebs are bleeped which is… not as clever as I think it was meant to be.

Also I’d be uncomfortable in this situation too. I’m just ready for this plotline to go somewhere beyond “Lucca is uncomfortable with rich people”.

Recapping goes fast when most of the show is case stuff.

In another throwback, Diane (lit by the weird lighting) is watching what looks like a parody of SNL allowing 45 to host? Or maybe it’s just some unfunny bit that goes on too long? Odd target for a parody at this point in time.

Whatever the point, it prompts Diane to start drawing dots of her own.

Lucca’s luck at the poker game is fantastic. Bianca encourages Lucca to keep her winnings-- she wouldn’t give back a stuffed animal or goldfish won with someone else’s money at a carnival, would she?

Case stuff, now involving 45, happens. This is a missing season two episode, I swear.

Wow lol those establishing shots and stock footage do NOT convince me that Lucca lives in Chicago. Nor do they convince me that anyone involved with the show has visited Chicago.

Case stuff happens!

Another Lucca and Marissa scene! Lucca asks what to do about her poker winnings. Marissa says Lucca should keep the money because Bianca doesn’t need it-- get Bianca a gift if she feels guilty.

Diane sits next to the seemingly nameless lawyer and they compare their dots. Unfortunately for Diane, the case she’s decided to sit in on as a favor? It’s another case in front of Julius, and it also gets 618’d. How convenient for the plot! When Julius doesn’t go for it, Diane is intrigued and reenergized. She boldly goes to Julius’s chambers to suggest trading info about 618.

No matter how many times I write “618” in the context of Memo 618 I still think 618 = Loser Edit.

Case stuff happens! It’s good for Caleb and Liz!

MALCOLM GETS MENTIONED BY NAME! CONTINUITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Caleb and Liz continue the tradition of using meals as code for sex and now I have to watch them kiss. Pass.

Lucca gets Bianca a gift of a goldfish and a giant stuffed bear (a reference to their earlier convo about carnivals). Cute, but I still don’t quite get where this plot is going.

There’s a “Skye and Moon” logo on the plane. I wonder if that is the name of Bianca’s cosmetics empire.

Oh, it’s over. This episode was perfectly fine. Nothing challenging, nothing innovative, but a solid and enjoyable outing closer in length to the average TGW ep than the average TGF one. After last week’s long-ass episode, this is really all I wanted/needed.

#tgfthoughts #the good fight

3 notes · View notes

thedeaditeslayer · 5 years

Photo

Bruce Campbell on the Extraordinary Tales Coming to 'Ripley's Believe It or Not!' Reboot.

Here’s another quick interview with Bruce Campbell on Ripley’s Believe it or Not! with one Evil Dead question sprinkled in.

Rather than the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, it was a red cloth-bound Ripley’s Big Book that Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell couldn’t take his eyes off of as it regularly sat on his shelf. So, when the actor was approached about hosting Travel Channel’s reboot of the beloved Ripley’s Believe It or Not! series, it was an easy sell.

“It makes sense,” he said. “A lot of people who are my fan base are very ... let’s just say, 'interesting' people. It’s a pretty good fit for the extraordinary characters we are documenting.”

The show comes as the iconic Ripley's brand celebrates its 100th anniversary. Campbell, also an executive producer, follows in the footsteps of the likes of Jack Palance and Dean Cain, who have hosted previous TV series versions of the franchise that began life as a comic strip and has also been featured on radio over its lifetime.

Before having your mind blown watching the stories of the incredible, strange and awe-inspiring, we sat down with the new host about what to expect.

You got to shoot the show in the Ripley’s Warehouse in Orlando. What was that experience like for you?

Bruce Campbell: It’s as cool as you would think. Shrunken heads and giant people and costumes and molding departments because they swap out all the displays for all of the museum. You start to realize the extent of Ripley’s. The warehouse is enormous. It’s a very Indiana Jones type of warehouse. You wouldn’t expect it. It’s sort of this unassuming warehouse. The treasures they have collected really are amazing. They’ve kept them going and curated them. One of our best-known collectors in the world as far as companies that collect stuff. They still collect stuff. Just that part out of curiosity alone was just great.

You talk about the fan base you have. What do you think you bring to the table as a host that maybe even past hosts haven’t?

I know 'amazing' when I see it. As an actor, I’ve been around 40 years now, so I’ve done some stuff and been some places. I think I have a pretty good idea what is amazing and what is normal and what is not normal. Everybody in this show is pretty much a jaw-dropper in some kind of way from the visual arts to the physical impairment to ways they overcome it. Things they do to change their body. Things they do to their body. Things their body can withstand. There is a lot of natural wonders as well. We’re going to look at that as well. Just in the natural world, things that are extraordinary.

There is a great message here in today’s world about inclusion and embracing what makes us different and stand out. How do you think the concept for this show fits in today’s environment, within this YouTube age and people doing all these crazy things on viral videos?

It helps us find the people. We are grateful to YouTube and Instagram, who have tons of followers already. We’re going to be highlighting some people who are already popular. We’re just going to give them another platform. What’s amazing people have their own footage that they’ve shot themselves that is HD good quality. Everyone is a lot more media savvy, so it’s easier for us to find them and translate their footage on to television.

Watching the first episode, you see things like a couple getting hitched while standing on a thin net strung 800 feet above a canyon in California. Looking at the 10 episodes, what are some of your favorite stories that we’re going to watch?

I’m a sucker for the human overcoming adversity. The natural world is fine, because it’s natural and odd, but it’s part of this crazy thing called life. I like when humans overcome problems. A guy with no lower half to his body becomes an incredible balancing performer. A guy who lost lower half of his body gets back on a motorcycle. People who have lost limbs figure out ways to keep on going.

It’s a very positive show as far as what it says about humans. So, what is kind of nice about is not necessarily focusing on the oddity, but the triumph. It really is jaw-dropping what some of these people do. It’s hard to list them all because with 10 episodes, you’re talking about six segments per show. That’s 60 stories. I couldn’t possibly list them, but they really are impressive.

I think another aspect that is great is the educational component, using diagrams and information to give people a look at what’s involved for them to do these extraordinary things.

It’s infotainment. It’s more uplifting than down. It’s a sunrise show, not a sunset. We’re showing people who had a problem, then showing what they’re doing to overcome it or how are they going to meet that challenge. Some person who is given an amazing gift, what are they doing to enhance something to share or give back. There are beautiful stories here.

In additional to hosting this show, you’re getting a chance to further flex your acting muscle in other projects as well. You’ve gotten great response for your work on Lodge 49. After all these years in the business, what is it like to still be able to challenge yourself in new ways?

The joke is I started hosting industrial stuff in Detroit back before anyone ever saw it. I’m sort of back doing it again. Things are sort of cyclical. I used to host these industrial films, talking to the camera and how things are working. That was 30 something years ago, so it’s funny to get back to that now. It’s new material at the same time. Ripley’s is great. I just love the bottomless pit of stories we have.

What were some of the industrial videos you did?

I did some things for Chrysler. I did the cross-section of seats for the Chrysler seats versus the Chevy seats versus the Ford seats. We went through which was more comfortable and ergonomic. Things only dealers and car salesmen would see.

It’s been a year since Ash vs. Evil Dead has left our screens. Do you think we will see another incarnation or installment within the Evil Dead universe, with or without Ash?

We’ll see more Evil Dead, that’s for sure. There is an Evil Dead video game out. A fully immersive video game probably within a year. I’m not sure about the day. There will be variations of that. There won’t be the original Ash anymore. That guy is done.

How do you think the universe will change compared to when you started out and what we’ve seen since?

Actors have a different challenge now. Actors are now looking at tennis balls on sticks. When we did the first Evil Dead, we used live ammunition on set. So, it’s a different world now. Everything is different. Everything is fake now. You’re on fake sets with a green-screen or blue-screen. And you’re not talking to actors because they’re not there because there are different sides that have to be filmed and at different times. It’s a new skill. It’s much more technical than it used to be, which is fine. We adapt. We are adaptive creatures, but it’s not as much fun though.

One thing that is real are these Ripley’s stories.

They are. The human factor really draws me into this.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Series Premiere Sunday, June 9, 9/8c, Travel Channel

#Ripley's Believe it or Not #Bruce Campbell #Evil Dead

25 notes · View notes

douxreviews · 5 years

Text

Five TV Shows I Stopped Watching

More often than not, a show we enjoy or love to death will lose its way and test the extent of our faithfulness to it. We can either watch it until the bitter end or let it go once we realize the magic that hooked us is gone. I have done both. How I Met Your Mother was a TV series I stuck with for pure loyalty. The struggle was real, though, and I fast forward through several of the final season episodes. The thing is, it's much easier – and healthier, even – to just let it go. With that in mind, I compiled a list of shows to which I said goodbye before they were over, why I did it and if I would consider going back and finishing them.

Spoilers below!

Chuck

Why I loved it: I identified with Chuck a lot. His clumsiness, his insecurity, his struggles. Plus, the show was very funny. Season two of Chuck is still one of my favorite seasons ever. It's a terrific character journey, with Chuck completely focused on getting rid of the Intersect, only to sacrifice everything in the end for the greater good.

When I dropped it: At "Chuck Versus the A-Team" (S04E18), in which Sarah and Chuck are surprised that there is a new facility built inside the Castle, even though it wasn't secretive at all, their reaction makes no sense, it's dumb, it drove me crazy and I stopped watching the episode five minutes into it.

Why I dropped it: I defended season four for a while, but it lost me too. The show was taking itself too seriously but the plot simply didn't hold. If you are making a spy comedy and there are some plot holes here and there, that's okay. If the show becomes more spy drama than spy comedy, you better fix those plot holes. Chuck didn't. Instead, the plot holes were as prominent as the lack of comedy.

Would I go back to it? Not really, no. It's weird that I feel this way about a show I loved so much, but if I ever watch Chuck again, it's probably going to be the first two seasons and parts of season three, not a completion mission.

Battlestar Galactica

Why I loved it: Season one of Battlestar Gallactica was sci-fi at its finest. The miniseries was enough to get me on board, I was blown away by the first episode, and by that episode in which Starbuck hijacked a Raider to return home, I knew that I loved her and the series. When everyone cheered that she was safe, I cheered too. This definitely doesn't happen often when I'm watching a TV show or a movie.

When I dropped it: During season two.

Why I dropped it: All I remember was that the last episode I watched ended on a weird cliffhanger (four main characters were on a planet, near sacred stones or something, Number Six and her crazy lover were in a temple somewhere else, it was all very mystical-y), I decided to take a break and forgot to resume watching. However, that's a false memory, because as I went through the list of season two episodes to write this article, I realized that I watched the episodes that feature Admiral Cain, which take place after the weird temple stuff. So I don't really know when or why I stopped watching.

Would I go back to it? Totally. Even though I know many people didn't like the finale (and I'm spoiled about the bizarre ending one of the characters got), when I stopped watching the show, it was still great. The problem is I lost my season one DVDs, and when I tried to resume watching starting with season two, I had no idea what was going on. It's been too long. I really need to restart from the beginning, but as of now, I'm not rushing to buy again the DVD set of season one. Should I?

Game of Thrones

Why I loved it: I don't know if I ever loved it. I grew very fond of some of the characters, though: Ned Stark, Jon Snow, Sansa Stark and Arya Stark. Basically, the Starks. Yes, even Sansa. Her decisions were infuriating, but she had "is going to have an awesome character development" written all over her.

When I dropped it: After the end of season one, to which a lot of people ask me, "you watched the first season and didn't continue?"

Why I dropped it: Well, don't kill me for this, but I think Game of Thrones is a bit overrated. It's a quality show, but one problem I had with it is that it was too much buildup. Season one has ten episodes: the first eight are buildup, episode nine is execution and the finale is setup to the following season. I understand that the political nature of the story means there will be some dancing around the throne, but still. Daenerys' story was the only one that had more dynamism to it. But the wall, for instance? Nothing ever happened there. There is also the issue that the series has ten billion different characters, and I tend to like stories with fewer characters.

Would I go back to it? Yes. Like I said, it is a quality show, and I have heard so much about that red wedding that I need to watch the damn thing.

The Vampire Diaries

Why I loved it: The Vampire Diaries was a great supernatural series. Initially looked down upon under the label of "teen show" (as if that were a bad thing), the first season grew and delivered great TV, with awesome arcs and interesting characters. After six or seven episodes, I was hooked. The story kept going to unexpected places, with a rich and ever expanding mythology. I remember that I loved the arc with the tomb vampires a lot. Season two was also a must, with Katherine Pierce and the introduction of the original vampires.

When I dropped it: After the end of season two.

Why I dropped it: The show used to kill too many characters, some of them way too soon and eventually one death upset me a lot. It was Jenna's, in the penultimate episode of season two. It's not that I was immensely fond of her or anything, but her death felt wrong somehow. To make it even worse, the season finale was emotionally focused on Damon and Elena, not on Elena losing her tenth parent figure. I knew right there and then that I wouldn't keep watching a show that valued romance shenanigans over the death of a loved one.

Would I go back to it? Not most of the time, but I have to admit that recently I watched a random scene of TVD on Youtube, a new one to me, and it was so delicious. It featured Damon being evil and twisted (obviously), Caroline being awesome (as usual) and Elena being dramatic (you know the drill), and it instantly made me remember why the show was so addictive. Maybe I should give season three a shot?

The 100

Why I loved it: Like The Vampire Diaries, it was dismissed as a forgettable teen show and it took a few episodes to find its footing. Despite the rocky start, I liked it from the beginning and by the end of season one I was a fan. The main characters are complex but likable and face some impossible dilemmas, especially the leading lady. The sci-fi stuff is good, the Grounder mythology is awesome and the series knows how to deliver a climatic finale. What's not to love?

When I dropped it: After "The Tinder Box" (S04E05).

Why I dropped it: Even though I was enjoying season four, I decided to take a break after watching yet another guy ruin it for everybody. I'm referring to that grounder who blew up Arkadia. There was also that arkadian who nearly killed Roan and started a war. Just how many times do we need to watch Clarke et. al. work really hard to keep everyone safe, only to have said work undone by the reckless action of an ill-motivated person?

Would I go back to it? Yes, absolutely. If there is a show on this list that I know for sure I will resume watching, this is the one. In fact, writing about it has made me realize how much I miss it.

That's it, guys. Do you have anything to say about the shows I listed above? Why I should totally go back to watching them or avoid them at all costs? What about some shows you have dropped watching yourself?

Lamounier

#Chuck #Battlestar Galactica #BSG #Game of Thrones #GoT #The 100 #The Vampire Diaries #TVD #Doux Five #Doux Reviews #something from the archive

9 notes · View notes

amandaj718 · 6 years

Text

Fandom and Other Six Letter Words

I have lots of thoughts and feelings I need to get out. Again. I always have thoughts and feelings. My thoughts and feelings don’t ruin your thoughts and feelings, but I’m just adding my thoughts and feelings to the pile.Can I get one more section of ‘Thoughts and Feelings’ into that paragraph? No. I’m done with that lame joke.

First, this is mostly about today’s episode and my reaction to certain reactions. Do these reactions step on anyone else’s? NO. Have a problem with them? Shoot me over some mail, and we can talk. Don’t like what I have to say? Unfollow me. Easy. No harm no foul. I’ll live. Ok, now we can begin.

Robert/Little SJ

Robert wanting to be a good father isn’t evil. Robert wanting to love his son is not evil. Robert wanting SJ to be protected isn’t evil. Robert isn’t going to hate the child anymore. He is here and tangible. He knows that this child isn’t the problem. A child shouldn’t be blamed for the parent’s sins. I love seeing Robert so open and happy with his son. It's ok. He is allowed to love him. Doesn’t mean he loves Aaron any less. Doesn’t mean he is ready to love Rebecca either. He is playing nice because he wants to be near his son. How dare he? Stop the hate and look at the situation clearly. Its all about SJ for Robert. That’s all it is about now. That is who he feels he has left. Who he can love since he thinks he can never love Aaron openly again (in his mind anyway).

No. Robert didn’t put down the Dingles. The Dingles aren’t normal. No family is normal on this show. To act like The Dingles are angels now is ridiculous and people are just looking for reasons to hate Robert. It’s getting old, and I refuse to acknowledge that type of hatred past this post. Its stupid and my energy on that topic ends here.

Aaron

Aaron’s pain isn’t the focus for a reason. We know what he is feeling. We don’t need to be reminded of it every show the baby is on. Ok? It’s not the Aarondale or Robrondale. It’s not Robertdale. It's Emmerdale. Everyone has to get some equal time here. Also, Aaron’s scenes were perfect today. Why? It shows a thawing. It shows the reunion road is now open for Robert and Aaron to walk down together. Let me explain.

Aaron sees the baby with them and smiles sadly. However, he says congratulations to Robert and no one else. That is what mattered in the scene. Not Victoria. Not Rebecca. Not Tracy. It was about Robert and Aaron and Baby SJ. It was a continuation of Fridays scene. Robert stepped up and is being the dad Aaron knows he can be.

Which leads us to the comment Aaron makes to Chas. “If Robert can step us so can Cain.” Which says to me that Aaron is thinking about Robert. He is thinking about how Robert is putting the child first over his schemes. He is stepping up. The crack in the frozen heart of Aaron Dingle is here. This is the beginning of healing for him and Robert together. If I wasn’t clear before, Robert can love Aaron and Little SJ. Love isn’t finite.

I read it as positive because guess what people. We are entering a new phase of the story. Robert and Aaron are going to talk. They are going to thaw out. It is going to get better. Embrace the possibility of a positive future. It's lovely.

The Whites

Way too much energy spent on the Whites. No, The Whites aren’t victims. They are getting their just deserts finally. Since the Whites arrived, they have been a thorn in the side of Emmerdale residents in little ways. All that little karma adds up in the end on a soap opera. This is their karma coming to get them.

Also, something to remember. Robert is full-blown, “I love SJ” while the Whites are more concerned about money now. Worried about themselves and the business going forward. Sure, people can worry about that, but they have a new baby in the house. Most would be focusing on that little bundle of joy but not The Whites. That coldness peeks through again. They are cold, money hungry and will be each other’s downfalls. Robert just helped that move along mostly with Lachlan.

They are everything Robert doesn’t want to be anymore. That was Robert when he was fully separated from Aaron. That was Robert before he met his match in Aaron. SJ and Aaron made Robert realize that he can’t live life like that…like The Whites are. The Whites are a cautionary tale. If SJ can’t make the Whites change their ways, nothing will.

Personal Anger

I’m personally creeped out by people wishing for Robert and SJ to die. I’m also getting creeped out by people who act like Aaron is a baby who lets things happen to him when he is a full-grown man who makes his own decisions in life. In reality, Aaron removed himself from the situation and went and got himself on a better track. Now he is coming back into the fold. He is ready to come back into this story. Anyway, yes, these people are fictional and no one wouldn’t wish for the death of a child in real life but...doesn’t make it any less creepy. This is a personal opinion. Feel free to disagree.

The hate around here is choking me. Everyone can get angry and hate things. I hate things too, but I talk it out with someone, and I move on. Some people just harp and the cycle of negativity never ends. Break the cycle. I beg the fandom to break the cycle. At least out in the open. Its so hard to be excited when someone is always there to act like the doom and gloom police.

Also, for the people who send death threats to me and others in the fandom. You are terrible human beings. Stop it. That is building bad karma that will bite you in the ass very soon. I’d love for those people to say what they have written to my face. Bet you they can’t do it. It’s pathetic and needs to stop before something goes wrong. I’ve seen it happen in other fandoms. You will threaten the wrong person, and someone will get hurt. Knock it off. Stay in your own lanes and we all will stay in ours. Don’t like an opinion. Learn to ignore it and move on. Talk it out. Do anything but send someone as sick as a death threat.

Well, I feel better. I have ‘anon’ shut off because if someone wants to talk to me, they can say it to my face with their names attached. Whew, I feel better now. Now I should go do something productive. Take a shower. Get my life together. Watch a Christmas movie. Walk away for awhile. Thanks for reading. Have a great night.

#Emmerdale #Robron #I turned off anon so want to say something #say it to my face #fandom issues

17 notes · View notes

seenashwrite · 7 years

Text

The Nail: August 2017

The Nail isn’t about perfection. It isn’t about award-level contenders. It’s about seeing focus and effort and hard work radiate off of the screen.

And The Nail’s purpose isn’t to highlight genres of fics or specific ships or pieces written during a certain time frame - the sole focus is quality.

Character dimension. Writing with clever readers in mind. Solid world-building. Tension through boundaries. Crazy crisp dialogue. Incredibly tight plotting. Big emotion.

And though yours truly - nice to meet you, new folks, I’m Nash! - is editor of the list, the goal is for YOU to curate the content.

Read more about how all this came to be, find past editions, see what factors are considered when constructing the list, and how to get your recommendations in/be a curator HERE.

Hey, ramblers? Let’s get ramblin’.

For your reblogging convenience, here’s The Nail Master Post of Editions!

Quickie Nash Note:

As this project evolves, I'm still determining the best way to present it for easiest reader use.

And so, faithful followers of The Nail, you'll notice a touch of a categorization change-up. The lengths are still the m.o. vs. type ["angst", "fluff", etc.], but are now listed in order of word count, low to high. The rest of the categories remain the same, plus a new one that may or may not appear on every edition [you'll see why!].

I've also put a new page on my blog, mainly for authors, with explanation for things they may question regarding this format - things I’ve mentioned prior, but it takes up too much space. Some of the current FAQs are....

- Why did someone make up a summary/why didn't you use my summary? - Why did someone make up a title for my story/poem? - What are those Q comments? - Is Nash actually reading all of this?

One last thing: The Nail is meant to go out the first full week of each month, and was mostly ready this weekend, however I just wasn't in a jovial, woo-hoo mood, I made a brief post why, I've no doubt each and every one of you understand, but you have my apologies nonetheless as poor time allocation on my part meant this wasn't out at some point during the past week.

XO - Nash.

* ~ * ALL FROM THE WORLD OF "SUPERNATURAL” UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED * ~ *

- SUPERNATURAL SUPERSTARS - Organized by length.

THE BOY KING'S DEMONS - @rex-daemoniorum / @vengeuse WORD COUNT - 279

Sam understands that there are exceptions to even his own rules.

Q: Nice detail, pertinents given painted the picture effectively/no belaboring; through-line present of Sam's ability to relate without spelling it out/written for intelligent readers; complexity of situation related in short amount of space

[Nash Note: Additional shout-out to @azazelsocks, who provided a high-quality prompt, as - if your humble editor may be blunt - most fic prompts are beyond lame. Well done, 'Socks.]

--> I cannot tag these folks, if someone could kindly let them know or give it a go in your reblog

CIRCUMSTANCES - @jessmoorechesters WORD COUNT - 347 words As years pass, the Moores have often found their thoughts turning to Sam.

Q: While perhaps started as headcanon, reads third-person omniscient; emotional, rambling, almost panicked cadence/style/lack of caps/punctuation absolutely works for this subject matter; nice full-stop short sentence toward end; inclusion of poignant details/no unneeded detail

[Nash Note: I already had this on the list, had a couple informal suggestions to check it out, spotted it more than once in my feed - overall, this resonated with many of you, and rightfully so.]

DESIGNATED DUTIES - @fanforfanatic WORD COUNT - 412

A tale about the seemingly ordinary things we do for one another.

Q: Moves at a crisp clip; heartfelt without bending sappy; several great lines/points of humor, prevents getting too heavy given the short length/action in question; nice cap-off/prompts reader to use imagination while not ending on a proverbial cliffhanger

HELLO, DARLING - @whispersandwhiskerburn WORD COUNT - 789

Crowley and Billie have a little chat.

Q: Excellent use of vocab in descriptions; quick, crisp dialogue; spot-on characterization; kept story moving/pacing well done; didn't waste time on explaining things/rehashing things readers already know from watching the show/written for clever readers

SHAPE OF YOU - @winchester-family-business WORD COUNT - 1K [minus song lyrics]

In which Dean walks into a bar, has a drink, meets a woman, and whether it's for now or forever, it's definitely meaningful.

Q: A get-in-and-get-out in the opener, setting the scene with just enough information and moving on to the actual story/no wasting time with a long set-up; excellent use of a "gimmick", re: initial communication; nicely fleshed-out protag who has her own thing going on, which he respects, which is in line with the character we know; took a commonly used set-up and took it to a thoughtful but not belabored/shmoopy place

GOOD NIGHT, LITTLE KING - @moonlightcas WORD COUNT - 1.6K

At the age of six, Sam is visited by Lucifer.

Q: in medias res; excellent pacing; perfectly plausible in canon; slightly chilling and pressing and foreboding without being suffocating; timing of the name reveal is Absolutely. Spot. On.

ONE, TWO, THREE - @kathaswings WORD COUNT - 3.4K

A trip to a bookstore turns out to be more than you - or Sam - could have imagined.

Q: in medias res; structure that would please any screenwriter; meet-cute without being immature/shmoopy/saccharine, specifically - protag didn't turn into a pile of weepies or gigglies/displayed strength; nice choice to include action; solid ending/author knew when to step away from the keyboard

[Nash Note: author's inspiration is revealed post-story, however they kept a light hand/did not merely re-hash source material bit-by-bit & just throw SPN atop it, instead made it their own - points and gold stars for this, always]

SUNDOWN, SUNDOWN - @thayerkerbasy WORD COUNT - 6.2K

"Crowley was done. After hundreds of years and one last sacrifice, he was done. Except, somehow, he wasn't."

Q: in medias res; spot-on characterization; tackled character departure in unique manner that could have easily gone shmoopy/author demonstrated restraint in walking the emotional line/kept that slightly off-kilter tone; moved at quick clip/efficient structure/fluid; touched on things/events seen in show but did not belabor/used as tool vs. crutch; phenomenal end dialogue/last line

- POEMS & POETICAL PROSE - Mostly quick reads, these are actual poems of any structure & short [< 2K] stories that have a poetic feel to the narrative with appropriate use of poetic verbiage given the subject matter and / or setting; pieces in the less-than-300 words neighborhood are considered quality in their entirety, therefore no "Q" notations; organized by length.

SECOND FALLING - @vintagesam WORD COUNT - 135

"Despite the silence in the church, the earth is deafening."

INTOXICATION - @copbydayfangirlbynight WORD COUNT - 199

"Out of nowhere, these two guys you’ve never seen show up and slip onto the bar stools next to you."

THE LEGEND - @quailpower WORD COUNT - approx. 300 words

Exploring the costs of immortality, and what one angel chooses to do with his time.

JULIET - @roxy-davenport WORD COUNT - 1.7K [minus song lyrics]

A night in the life of Crowley's beloved hellhound.

Q: HERE [Nash Note: Short version? Knowing when it is appropriate to inject "flowery" verbiage into a narrative. Hint: fits the time period and/or character, is kept crisp, to-the-point, and used sparingly, regardless]

- MULTI-PARTERS - Stories with a minimum of 2 parts, max of 3-to-4, with modestly sized [1-to-2K] chapters; completed as of this list; organized alphabetically by title.

None this time! [but I’ve got a couple bookmarked whose wrap-ups appear to be en route]

- SERIES SPOTLIGHT : SUPERNATURAL & SPN CROSS-OVERS - Works that are completed series, as well as ongoing / in progress series, with at least 3 parts published as of/prior to the edition of The Nail in question; unfinished series must have been updated within roughly 6 months of this post; these are lengthier than multi-parters, getting into a 5K+ range per chapter; organized alphabetically by title.

MISE EN PLACE - @sp-oops

A look inside the ways you - and the rest of the family - help Dean deal with the effects of the Mark of Cain.

Q: in medias res; quick, crisp dialogue & pace; no heavy-handed/laborious descriptors of setting/emotions, whether internal or verbal; nice character development/casual, easy feel to character interactions; sex fit into plot organically/didn't feel forced; plausible reactions by Dean/Sam/protag regarding the complexities of the residual impacts of the mark; witty humor throughout; nice cap-off/author knew when to step away from the keyboard

Curated by @smi727 , who said: "Stumbled upon this little beauty of a series recently. I was seriously blown away by the plot, the writing, the reader’s personality, everything! Please Nash, share this wonderful writer with the world!"

- RANDOM FANDOMS - All types, all lengths, all the things that aren’t SPN but are still pretty damn super; organized alphabetically by title.

AGENT 15 [series in progress] - @bellamysgirl

[MARVEL - AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.]

"Agent 15 was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents - that all changed when a mission went terribly wrong... but Coulson found a way to drag her back."

Q: in medias res; moves at a quick clip/no time wasted on extraneous detail; well-done characterization of both known/O.C.; reads as if watching episodes/movie; nice format/use of time flip vs. heavy exposition telling another character about those events; keeps intensity while splashing in moments of camaraderie

VERY MUCH FAEBLOODED [drabble] - @mickeyrowan

[POTTERVERSE]

"She knows she’s different. She’s always been different... No place lets her forget this."

Q: Introspective without taking the reader on a deep, angst-filled dive; even-handed character portrayal; tone consistent; nice choice of event highlighting vs. a traditional narrative; well done on complementary kick-off/wrap-up

WHO YOU ARE [one-shot] - @blackcaptainrogers

[MARVEL - AVENGERS]

Bucky knows showing love takes on a variety of forms.

Q: HERE

[Nash Note: Short version? Your audience consists of such variety, it’ll take your breath away. And, well...]

On that piece of white paper, Sam wrote, "Write about me sometime." And I typed something back to her, standing right there in her bedroom. I just typed, "I will.” ― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

- ORIGINAL WORKS - Anything from haiku to novella; pieces in the less-than-300 words neighborhood are considered quality in their entirety, therefore no "Q" notations; organized by length.

IT IS SO TIRING TO BE DIVINE - @mythaelogy WORD COUNT - 52

"The architecture of your bones was built by conquerors."

MYSTERY GIRL - @inkskinned WORD COUNT - 111

"[A] girl who convinces you of magic, who flickers just a little on the edge of reality..."

I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THE STARS IN A MONTH - @poemsforpersephone WORD COUNT - 125

"It’s an easy thing, to open a window, to step outside."

A TRADITION - @wakor-rising / @wakor & @sonatagreen WORD COUNT - 189

"In peacetime, the ruler grows their hair long. In war, they cut it short."

--> I cannot tag these folks, if someone could kindly let them know or give it a go in your reblog

NEW YORK CITY TO RICHMOND - @haleyincarnate WORD COUNT - 269

"I wonder if he knows that I can see the trying part of him..."

THE HOUSE OF GRUMLY - @erinnightwalker WORD COUNT - 553

"Everyone knew that the Widow Grumly’s granddaughter was a werewolf."

Q: Sharp start with a phenomenal choice of an opening sentence; took a "historical fact", ran with it, and created a captivating world / plot in an incredibly short span of time; formatting, flow, verbiage crisp; nice & layered/written with a clever audience in mind

THE ADVENTURES OF ROXY AND JUJU - @wheresthekillswitch WORD COUNT - 2.4K [part one/series in progress]

"JuJu finally relents and hands over the car keys to Roxy. It couldn’t possibly go more wrong than it did the last time Roxy drove…. right?"

Q: in medias res; crisp dialogue; absolutely engaging, witty characters developed in a short amount of space; vivid descriptors without being heavy-handed; leans into a vignette [character study] feel vs. hashing out a distinct plot; nice intro/kick-off for a series, though if author opts not to proceed, works just fine as stand-a-lone...

[...which is why I broke my own damn series criteria rule, so sue me. -N.]

- STUFF SO CREATIVE & UNIQUE, IT JUST CAN'T BE CATEGORIZED - What it says, organized alphabetically by title.

ENTRIES - @cardinaleyes

An inside look into the journals of Team Free Will:

DEAN

SAM

CASTIEL

Q: an ongoing pseudo-series with a creative concept; keeps distinct style for each; bonus points regarding convenience for the reader by having a "home" for each character vs. all together in one blog

JEOPARDY

In which Team Free Will plays a game.

It began with a piece of fanart by @lastlabyrinth ....

....which got some dialogue by @phantomrose96 ....

.... which got a follow-up by @casonly, and a nice wrap-up from @guntheramvs

Q: Written with sharp, quick-witted audience in mind; spit-take worthy humor; great characterization, spot-on in fact regarding our host for the evening; crisp, fun dialogue; excellent collaboration by all involved

[h/t @waywardafbabygirl ]

JOURNAL OF A MAN OF LETTERS - @petite-madame

From the creator: "[This is] a diary in first-person narrative written from Sam's point of view. Once a week, I post an art and a ficlet inspired by an episode or a scene. I'm following the show timeline as close as I can but I'm taking liberty with canon here and there."

Q: Extraordinary, above-and-beyond, clearly evident care, devotion, countless hours put into this project, and it has paid off many times over - there is some of the most beautiful art you'll ever see, there are stories [have a sample] that will hit you right in the feels, there are moments ranging from light-hearted to introspection, and you even have an option of platform - go HERE for the LiveJournal headquarters. Phenomenal, top-to-bottom. I am not over-selling this.

TWO AGENTS MISSING, PRESUMED DEAD - @bohoartist & @piecesofscully

[THE X-FILES]

Two agents are missing - follow the twists and turns as clues are examined, leads are followed, and information is exchanged.

Q: The planning and execution throughout was nothing short of excellent; written/developed with smart audience in mind; methodology of storytelling unique and, more importantly, appropriate for how the authors chose to unfold the plot; format/use of images was spot-on; clear through-line and tone; mystery that was engaging, teasing but not frustrating

[h/t @itssteaksauce ]

*~* Shameless Self-Promotion *~*

Happy Reading! XO - Nash.

* Authors, I encourage you to express your appreciation to your curator(s). Readers, if you enjoy curator selections & found them to be of quality, I encourage you to not only give the authors feedback, but also thank the curator(s) for bringing the story/series to your attention. I suspect they’ll dig it. *

#The Nail #Nailed It!#Quality Writing #Must Reads

67 notes · View notes

caranfindel · 7 years

Text

Episode recap/review 12.19: "The Future"

THEN: Oh, goody. It’s going to be a mytharc episode.

NOW: Sad, dirty Kelly Kline is being force-fed vitamins by Dagon. Dagon reminds her again that she’s going to die when the Lucifetus is born, and I wonder again why she would have showed her hand like that. She had Kelly right where she wanted her; a willing, compliant, trusting incubator. Why did she throw that away? She nags Kelly into taking a bath, in the saddest bathroom ever, complete with broken mirror. Kelly fills the rusty tub with a garden hose, apologizes to her unborn baby, takes a shard of the broken mirror, and slits her wrist.

Title card!

We have a lovely montage of Sam in the bunker, in full-blown research mode, looking through books and writing arcane markings on the map room table and just looking absolutely fantastic. He’s wearing a black button-up shirt with no apparent t-shirt underneath, and he’s extra scruffy. Not “The Born Again Identity” levels of scruffy, but scruffier than we normally see him, and it’s marvelous. I don’t know if it’s supposed to indicate something wrong, some level of obsession or lack of self care, but daaaaaamn. It’s fantastic.

The future looks fucking awesome, my friends.

Dean shows up, equally dark, also a bit scruffy (thank you baby Jesus) and is impressed by Sam’s work. Since he hasn’t seen any of it, either he’s been away, or Sam did all of this overnight. I’m going with B. He calls Sam “Beautiful Mind,” which I believe last happened when Sam was first having halluciferinations, and I know there’s no reason to assume this episode’s writer is actually aware of that. It’s probably a coincidence. But in a season full of callouts to earlier (better) days, it makes me wonder.

Sam’s been figuring out when the Lucifetus will be born, which doesn’t explain the symbols written all over the table, but that’s okay. We will deal. It does explain why we saw him circling the number 18, because he’s predicted the nephilim is due on May 18, which is coincidentally the day of the season finale.

(Sidebar: I’ve complained before about Entertainment Weekly ignoring SPN when they have roundups of the best shows to watch this week, season premieres, season finales, etc. This week’s EW actually did have a blurb about the SPN season finale. And I couldn’t read it because spoilers. File this under “be careful what you wish for.” Or maybe under “seriously, she’s never satisfied.”)

Dean comments that everything bad seems to happen in May (no, he really doesn’t, but don’t you think they should have noticed a pattern by now, and here is an excellent Tumblr post relating to that) and that this gives them less than a month to find Kelly. And they don’t know what to do with her once they do find her.

How am I supposed to care about a nephilim that will destroy all humanity when I’ve got this distracting scenario to contend with?

They’re interrupted by the sound of the bunker door opening. It’s Cas!

Can we have more of these interesting things happening above Dean’s head? And can Sam notice them too, please?

Sam is happy and surprised and asks where he’s been, and Dean is stunned and angry (and hot) and asks where the hell he’s been. He’s not impressed by Cas’s explanation that he had no bars in Heaven. Sam is still kind and welcoming, telling Cas “we’re glad you’re back” (because he’s Sam Winchester) and Dean is too hurt and angry at being abandoned to express any happiness or relief at all (because he’s Dean Winchester) and instead bitches at Cas about the fact that they lost Dagon and Kelly without backup. He stomps off, and they each fall into their assigned roles: Angry Dean, Guilty Cas, Conciliatory Sam.

Not that I’m complaining.

And if you want a case of the sads, watch Sam’s face fall as Dean stomps all over his happiness at Cas’s safe return.

Some time later (presumably, since Dean rubs his shoulder as if he’s been sitting at the computer for a while) Cas shows up at Dean’s bedroom and gives him back his mixtape. For the love of God.

Scenes from the Writers’ Room

I know Destiel is never gonna be canon.

Right.

And YOU know Destiel is never gonna be canon.

Right.

But it IS fun to get them all worked up, isn’t it?

Yes. Yes it is. What are we going to do this week? Old-married-couple-style squabbling? Declarations of love that turn out to be platonic and directed at all three Winchesters?

Nah, we’ve done those this season. I’ve got something better. Look at this.

Oh, God. You’re evil.

So Cas puts “Dean’s Top 13 Zeppelin Traxx” on the desk. Without looking at him, Dean hands it back and says “it’s a gift; you keep those.” Dean explains that they were worried while he was gone, and that’s not okay. Cas apologizes some more and says that all he does is fail, and he’s tired of failing. He says that “when you were taken, I searched for months,” which is odd, because they were only gone for six weeks, but maybe he kept looking after they were found, I don’t know, and he feels guilty about Kelly escaping on his watch and he just didn’t want to come back without a win. For you. (Oddly enough, he doesn’t apologize for letting Lucifer out of the cage, which seems like his biggest sin IMHO.)

Dean would rather talk about his own failures (because he’s Dean Winchester) and he says they had Kelly and lost her. Cas asks what they’ll do when they find her, and Dean says Sam’s working on it, and he’s hell-bent (no pun intended?) on finding a solution that doesn’t require killing Kelly or the baby. Cas asks if either of the Winchester’s could “kill an innocent” if Sam doesn’t find that solution. “We will find a better way,” says Dean. Translation: No, we will not kill an innocent. Because they’ve never been in that position before. Nope. Cas notes the use of the word “we” and ponders if that includes him, and Dean says “Yes, dumbass. We. You, me, and Sam. We’re just better together. So now that you’re back, let’s go Team Free Will.” Another shout-out! When did we last hear “Team Free Will?” Was it ever used again after that one episode in S5?

Dean doesn’t actually look very happy about Team Free Will assembling again.

Dean stalks off to get a beer and Cas stands in the doorway, looking around Dean’s room with a kind of suspicious expression.

Back at Casa Dagon, the demon stomps downstairs and finds a bathtub full of bloody water. But no dead Kelly Kline inside. She spots Kelly in the corner, wrapped in a towel, with blood on her wrists but no wounds. “He wouldn’t let me die,” Kelly says, with a blessed-out look on her face. Since Show keeps reminding me about S5, I immediately assume Lucifer is the one who kept her alive, just as he promised to keep Sam alive.

In the bunker, Dean finds Sam still working, and tells him to get some sleep. (If Sam worked all night figuring out Kelly’s due date, he must have been up all day and this is night two?) But Sam’s on a roll.

Sam’s also got his feet up and it’s fucking glorious.

Maybe they’re going about this all wrong, he says. They can’t track Dagon, but maybe they can track the Lucifetus. And then this lovely, lovely scene goes straight to Hell.

”Remember Gadreel?” Sam asks. Except he pronounces it GADreel, or even GADriel.

”How could I ever forget?” says Dean. “The angel I tricked you into serving as a vessel for. The angel who killed Kevin. The angel who indirectly led to me getting the Mark of Cain, which resulted in me coming damn close to killing you. Twice. The angel Crowley had to possess you in order to eject. I still have nightmares about all of that. I’d do anything to undo all of the damage I caused. Yes, I remember Gadreel.”

Oh, no, wait. He doesn’t say any of that at all. He says “The psycho angel that took your body for a test drive? Yeah, what about him?” As if he had nothing to do with it. As if it was just something weird that happened to Sam, that he happened to remember. What the fuck, show. (Also, Dean pronounces it GADriel too. So maybe they’re not talking about Gadreel at all. Maybe this is some other angel who took Sam for a spin. Some angel I’ve forgotten.)

Oh well. Carrying on.

(Seriously. What the fucking fuck, Show.)

Shhh. Don’t think about it. Just mute the sound and enjoy the pretty.

Sam reminds Dean that he and Cas were working on a spell to find this mysterious GADriel, and Dean reminds Sam that they needed Gadriel’s grace and Cas couldn’t get enough of it. Although I don’t know how Dean knows this, since he wasn’t there when any of it happened. I guess Sam and/or Cas told him about it later, as they tend to do (ha ha ha I crack myself up). And then Sam is all, wait, the grace extraction! We can just extract Lucifer’s grace from the Lucifetus, because a nephilim is just a human soul with angelic grace (is it? did we know that?) so if they just extract the grace from the baby, it will no longer be a nephilim and Kelly won’t have to die.

Now, when Sam says Kelly won’t have to die, I assume he means they were planning on killing her, if necessary, to prevent the Lucifetus from being born. I don’t think he means they’d extract the grace like some kind of supernatural amniocentesis and this plan would prevent her heretofore unavoidable death after giving birth. Because I don’t think he knows about that part of it. After all, Cas didn’t know the mother of a nephilim never survives the birth, so how would Sam have known? I can only assume he plans to have Cas extract the grace after the baby is born. And that leads to some uncomfortable issues if it doesn’t work. But Dean is convinced this is the answer and Sam is happy and proud of himself and aw, boys, I just want this for you. (What did I say earlier about being careful what you wish for?) Dean leaves to get Cas and finds his room empty. And there’s sad music playing, so we know he’s not just in the bathroom. (Also the fact that he’s an angel, but if God takes long showers, there’s no reason an angel couldn’t. Just saying.)

Cut to Kelly and Dagon, who have already long outworn their welcome on my screen. Dagon can’t imagine why Kelly doesn’t want to be the not-quite-virgin Mary giving birth to evil Jesus, but Kelly says her baby isn’t evil, because he saved her. Oh, it was the baby, and not Lucifer? That’s disappointing. Dagon says he saved himself, not Kelly, and she’s still going to die when he’s born. And Dagon will raise him. By the way, Kelly’s little bloodbath not only cleaned her up, but it freshened her makeup, hair, and clothes too. Oh, Lucifetus. What can’t you do?

Now we see Cas in his old truck, meeting Hot Angel Kelvin to give him… The Colt? Oh, no, Cas. Bad angel. He tells him there are only two bullets in the chamber, but that’s okay, because they only need one for Dagon and one for Evil Jesus’s incubator. Kelvin explains that Joshua tracked a “celestial pulse” to a house nearby. Cas’s phone rings, and it’s Dean, who’s calling for at least the third time. If I were Cas, I’d have silenced my phone by now. Kelvin praises him for following Joshua’s plan and putting angelkind above the Winchesters and Cas is all, I’m doing this for the Winchesters, because Sam is nice to me and Dean made me a mix tape and I want to keep them safe from Dagon, and kill the girl so they don’t have to do it.

Surprisingly enough, Cas doesn’t manage kill either Dagon or the girl (shocking, I know). Cas wastes a bullet, Dagon kills an angel, and Cas is unable to shoot Kelly after all, and flees with her instead. And that worked out so well last time.

In the bunker, Sam is calling Cas and getting no response, and wondering how he got the Colt out of the safe in the first place. Dean somewhat sheepishly admits it was under his pillow.

Dean Winchester has some regrets.

Dean’s ready to “kick his feathered ass,” and actually slides the angel blade into his bag. Okay, he’s probably planning to use it on a demon, but it’s still an interesting juxtaposition. Sam says Cas wouldn’t have taken the Colt unless he was up against something big, because he’s Sam Winchester. So Dean decides they’ll save him and then kick his feathered ass.

Now we’re in Cas’s old truck, which reminds me that I miss the Pimpmobile. Kelly has astutely noted that he came to kill her, but didn’t. Cas considers himself a failure again, and says he doesn’t know what he’s doing, he’s just trying to put distance between Kelly and Dagon. Because it’s not like demons can teleport or anything.

Speaking of Dagon, she’s communicating with Lucifer, lying that everything is fine, but he knows she’s lying and gets marvelously angry. “So you let the Winchesters’ purse dog take my son?” Mmm. Gotta like some angry Lucifer, and when he blows up at Dagon, it’s hard not to imagine him blowing up at Sam in the cage. Lucky for her, Dagon has Hot Angel Kelvin chained up, so he’ll probably help.

Cas and Kelly made it to a hotel, where we see Cas on a cell phone “communicating with Joshua.” Is that the only way angels can communicate now? Because I’m pretty sure they used angel radio earlier in the season. Cas has been ordered to take Kelly to Heaven, where her life and the Lucifetus’s life will end, “swift and painless.” He tells her “your souls will ascend to Heaven, and every cell of your beings will return to the universe,” and considering that just yesterday she slit her wrists In a rusty bathtub, this doesn’t seem like such a bad end to me. He apologizes, and tells her it’s necessary because her child will be too powerful and “could bring the universe to its knees.” But Kelly believes her baby won’t be born evil, and Cas says “I can’t take that chance.” And I wish he had simply said “no, it’s a known fact that your baby will be born evil; there’s no other option.” Because that’s the assumption he’s been working on all along, and admitting that it’s not 100% kind of comes out of nowhere. (Unless I haven’t been paying attention because I’m not really into this particular plot? Perhaps.) Unfortunately, the crappy old truck won’t start (I bet the Pimpmobile would have started).

Meanwhile, Dagon is hard at work encouraging Hot Angel Kelvin to help. He says he doesn’t know where Cas is, and I’m surprised it doesn’t occur to anyone that he might take Kelly to the bunker.

Cas and Kelly have checked into the hotel, where he expects her to hang out while he fixes the truck and drives her to her death. At least this time he doesn’t let her disappear into the bathroom. Chances are they’re going to be there a while, since he’s googling websummoning “How to fix a truck.” (Also, I find Websummon an amusing name for a search engine.) Kelly tells him that she killed herself and the Lucifetus saved her, and he realizes that was the “celestial pulse” felt in Heaven. She’s sure her baby is good, even though Cas says the same thing Dagon did - the baby needs her alive. Kelly thinks that maybe everything she’s gone through is some sort of plan, and Cas knows differently. He tells her he used to think he had a mission, but now he knows otherwise. There’s no plan; Lucifer is just sowing destruction for the hell of it (ha ha) and she just happened to be there. She still thinks her baby could be good for this world, because she just doesn’t get it, and Cas tells her she won’t survive the birth, so even if her baby is good, and isn’t inevitably evil, who will take care of him and keep him on the righteous path?

Oh. Wait. Cas knows Kelly will die? He knows the mother of a nephilim doesn’t survive the birth? So he knew, just a few episodes ago, that Lily Sunder couldn’t possibly be the mother of a nephilim, and therefore he knew Naughty Angel Isham was lying? Because I swear it seems Iike that episode went in a different direction. How odd.

And then Kelly lets Cas feel the baby kick and he is lost in wonder at the miracle of life and then her eyes glow amber and he has a vision of telling someone to stay away from her at the stairway to Heaven. Well. That was unexpected. I thought it was going to be a mushy oh wow there’s a real live baby in there and Cas would suddenly be unable to end it, and I’m glad they didn’t go that direction.

Then there’s a knock on the door, and of course it’s Sam and Dean, and my joy is somewhat measured because Sam’s wearing that godawful orange coat again.

I hope someone manages to burn this coat before the end of the season.

Dean angrily slams Cas against a wall until Sam points out that he has Kelly. Cas wonders how they found him, and Dean says Sam put a tracking app on his phone. And I guess that makes sense, that after he was missing for a few weeks, they’d be more interested in keeping up with his whereabouts, but it’s not like it would have worked when he was in Heaven, so I’m going to call it a little too convenient and then get on with my life. Oh, wait, Sam says Cas wouldn’t look them in the eye, so his suspicion makes more sense.

Cas updates them on his progress, or lack thereof, and says he was trying to keep them safe by keeping them out of it. Not your job, Dean responds, and when have we ever been safe anyway? Which is funny because Dean has done this very thing to others (and by others I mean Sam). When the Winchesters learn of Cas’s plan to take Kelly and the Lucifetus to Heaven, Sam explains his idea about extracting the nephilim’s grace. Cas seems to think it could work, but the only reason it didn’t kill Sam is because they didn’t finish. But it beats the hell out of certain death, Dean says, because now Dean also knows Kelly can’t survive the nephilim’s birth? Whatever. Kelly doesn’t agree, because extracting his grace takes away the thing that makes him special. Cas agrees to take Kelly back to the bunker and work out a new plan, and he escorts her to the Impala. Since the car is locked, Dean tosses the keys to Cas. Cas helps Kelly into the front passenger seat and then sits in the back, tossing the keys into the driver’s seat. Kelly decides to take matters into her own hands, and as Sam and Dean “discuss” the situation in the parking lot, she slides into the driver’s seat and takes off.

Kelly now believes that Cas is part of the plan. When he put his hand on her stomach, the baby told her to go to the stairway to Heaven and follow Cas’s plan. She doesn’t want Sam and Dean to take away his special Lucifetus powers, and why Kelly keeps missing the Lucifer part of this is beyond me. Cas is disturbed to find out he’s the one who’s supposed to care for the nephilim, and oddly, it’s not because the child is Lucifer’s baby, it’s because Cas considers himself a failure and not capable of taking care of the baby. So he might… accidentally kill the baby he’s trying to kill? Kelly refers to her previous self as a “cut-rate political flack” and I don’t really know what a flack is. Does she mean hack? (Yes, she was such a bad hack that she didn’t even know the word is hack.) But if a failure like her can create something as wondrous as the Lucifetus, so can Cas!

Cut to Dean fixing Cas’s crappy old truck. Which makes perfect sense. We know the Winchesters are morally opposed to stealing cars, even if it’s the only way to catch up to someone who is about to do something really, really stupid and possibly universe-ending. The only thing to do is fix Cas’s truck and follow him in it.

But Mechanic!Dean is always a welcome treat, so okay.

Nighttime. Cas and Kelly approach the Heavenly Sandbox and are greeted by… No. No, this is not Joshua. Joshua was that sweet, gentle, older guy we saw in “Dark Side of the Moon.” This twerp is not Joshua. What’s wrong, Show; you think we can’t handle two black angels in the same episode? Anyway. Crappy!Joshua greets Cas and Kelly and is suddenly zapped by Dagon, who talks for a long time because we needed to hear whatever’s going on in Dagon’s head. This episode has really been light on Winchesters.

Luckily, just as she’s about to smite him, the Winchesters pull up. It must have taken about 10 minutes to fix Cas’s truck. Sam shoots her with a regular gun and does some badass reloading, then gets tossed aside while Dean shows up with the Colt. Unfortunately, Dagon wrests the Colt from Dean’s grip and melts it down with her evil demon grip. Which is sad, but I was concerned about it being a deus ex machina for every future monster, so I’m not gonna complain that much.

Cas tells Kelly to run, which she should have done as soon as Dagon showed up, rather than standing there with her mouth open. But I wanted to see the Winchesters on the ground too, so I can’t blame her for hanging around.

Mmmm. It was worth it.

Kelly takes Cas’s hand and her eyes glow amber again, and then we see fiery veins of power make their way from her hand to Cas’s, and up to his face. His eyes glow angel blue and then amber, and as Dagon rears back to smite him, he grabs her arm and stops her with the might power of the Lucifetus. “Call it a miracle,” he says, and she bursts into flame. Sadly, Sam’s coat is not involved in the conflagration.

Astonished Winchesters, so pretty.

Aftermath! Sam and Dean tentatively approach Cas and ask “what was that?” “It was me,” he says, “but it was also…” Significant look at Kelly’s belly. He heals Dean’s injured arm, and there’s kind of a sense of wonder, as if he hasn’t been able to do that lately. But we know he’s had healing powers this season, so I don’t know.

Whatever. Look at the pretty pictures. Look at how tiny Cas is.

He thanks them for coming to the rescue, tells them he’s not lost any more, says that the child must be born with all of his power, and gently boops them on their foreheads. It’s a little reminiscent of Godstiel. Cas and Kelly leave the Winchesters sprawled on the ground, unconscious, which is probably perfectly safe. Kelly asks what the baby told him, and Cas says “He didn’t tell me; he showed me. The future.”

So. Is Cas under Lucifer’s influence? Or is the baby actually capable of good? What do you think about all of this? And whether or not the plot was worthwhile, wasn’t it awfully pretty? And directed by Amanda Tapping, who played Naomi! Once again, Naomi is telling Cas what to do. ;-)

Help me stay unspoiled for future episodes; thanks!

#tv recaps #recap #spn #12.19 #12.19 the future

43 notes · View notes

douxreviews · 5 years

Text

Five TV Shows I Stopped Watching

Spoilers below!

Chuck

Battlestar Galactica

When I dropped it: During season two.

Game of Thrones

When I dropped it: After the end of season one, to which a lot of people ask me, "you watched the first season and didn't continue?”

Would I go back to it? Yes. Like I said, it is a quality show, and I have heard so much about that red wedding that I need to watch the damn thing.

The Vampire Diaries

When I dropped it: After the end of season two.

The 100

When I dropped it: After "The Tinder Box" (S04E05).

Would I go back to it? Yes, absolutely. If there is a show on this list that I know for sure I will resume watching, this is the one. In fact, writing about it has made me realize how much I miss it.

#Doux Five #Chuck #Battlestar Galactica #The Vampire Diaries #Game of Thrones #The 100 #BSG #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews #ICYMI

1 note · View note