#so I'm just gonna say harper died happy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hieronymus-botch · 8 months

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Happy 16th anniversary of iCarly, everyone! Ok, so I've been putting this off for a while, and probably the hype has died down such that no one will care about this at this point, but I finally got around to watching the iCarly revival, and I have some Thoughts. (sidenote, I didn't even realize today was the anniversary until yesterday, I had to marathon the entire third season this morning and am currently typing when I should be sleeping so I can prepare for my birthday trip to Dallas tomorrow so I can get this out today.) Spoiler alert: They are generally not positive thoughts. Disjointed rambling potentially spoilery details below the cut.

Ok, I'm just gonna come right out and address the elephant in the room: It just isn't the same without Sam. I have nothing but respect for Jennette McCurdy and utmost sympathies for what she went through and cannot blame her at all for not wanting to reprise her role, but none of that changes the fact that of the problems I have with this show, a solid 80% of them are at least partially attributable to a lack of Sam.

With the sole exceptions of Kevin and Sully because I am a sucker for cute animals, ever single new character the reboot introduces sucks. Harper is a cookie-cutter sassy black woman stereotype, in season 1 Millicent is just straight up an asshole to everyone for no reason, and even in the subsequent seasons where her assholishness is toned down, "11 year old businessperson" is an incredibly cliche character archetype that every sitcom ever has used and she does not do a particularly unique or interesting rendition of it, and all of the other characters don't have enough of a discernible personality for me to say anything about them other than that they're annoying and not funny. I especially didn't like the show's pre-season 2 approach to a supporting cast where instead of introducing secondary characters and then having them come back periodically, it would introduce a character, have them be the focal point of roughly three consecutive episodes, not be funny or interesting for any of them, and then disappear into the ether and be replaced by a new one. Also, Paul is quite possibly the worst of the bunch and I suspect that the only reason he wasn't phased out like most of the others is they already got all the actors from the original they could and were willing to settle for actors from different classic Nickelodeon sitcoms just to activate people's nostalgia glands.

Despite in theory being the defining feature of the show, the iCarly webshow is so rarely relevant to the plot of this show that I'm pretty sure if it were any less relevant, calling the show iCarly would legally constitute false advertising. It's occasionally tangentially relevant to the plot and once in a blue moon there'll be an episode that can generously be called "about the webshow", but if you just go through each episode and make a list of the things they're about, "the iCarly webshow" doesn't even make the top 5. As previously mentioned, I suspect this is because they don't know how to make the webshow segments work without Sam.

Due to a combination of the lack of Sam, severely reduced presence of the webshow, and the characters being adults now, a majority of the original series's sources of conflict are no longer available. The writers have chosen to compensate for this by making Carly into an insecure moron who repeatedly tells off-the-cuff lies she has no hope of backing up for no reason other than to seem more talented or successful than she is to people she ususally doesn't even particularly respect, and also intermittently turning Spencer into a douchey asshole who forces his wacky ideas on other people whether they want them or not.

I really really hate how Freddie's mom's deranged and abusive behavior is treated like a cute quirk and he continues to put up with it even after he has the means to do otherwise, and after the episode where he decides to keep living with her even though he has a job and a girlfriend and a kid, all of the awful shit she did to him is just implicitly forgiven without her ever apologizing or admitting wrongdoing at all and now she's just Part Of The Gang. If I were Jennette McCurdy, I would probably interpret this as some kind of incredibly fucked up slight against me by the writers for declining to reprise my role, but more charitably they probably did it this way because her actress was one of the 4 from the original who were willing to reprise their roles on a regular basis and they're desperate to cling to anything that maintains a connection to the original series.

It's especially funny how the show confronts the fact that in the original the gang practically tortured Lewbert for the crime of being ugly and having an annoying voice, but like, de-confronts Mrs. Benson's insane helicopter parenting, which the original pretty much did acknowledge was super fucked up but the revival as previously mentioned doesn't?

The whole love triangle/will they or won't they romance element was always my least favorite aspect of the original, and I don't like it any more now that there's even more focus given to it. Creddie is frankly the most boring generic "he was a boy she was a girl can I make it any more obvious" ship imaginable. Perhaps I'm being paranoid but I think a lot of small subtle things I don't like about this show can be attributed to the fact that they knew all the queer fans would lose interest as soon as there was no sam to ship carly with so they pivoted hard to the "aggressively normie straight girl" demographic. If Sam were on the show at all I am 100% certain they would've made sarly canon but due to circumstances beyond anyone's control but Jennette McCurdy's thankfully dead mom she isn't so they instead chose to give us even more of the same generic interchangable hetero Main Boy X Main Girl romance the original already had.

None of the Spencer romance episodes work for me either, because in the original, spencer's girlfriend of the week would have some kind of unique trait of her own that would put spencer in a unique situation, wheras in the reboot the joke is always just "spencer is a weird goofy guy and has weird goofy relationship habits."

Why the fuck did they keep the laugh track. They've already changed a million different other things both big and small, even the music and sound effects specifically are noticeably different, why the laugh track of all things. No more laugh tracks. Society has progressed past the need for laugh tracks.

I fucking hate Carly's apartment. This is 100% unironic. Designing a set that looks unique and distinctive while still being a space the protagonist could believably live in is genuinely a very important part of making a sitcom at which the original succeeded and the revival fails. You could probably take someone who's only ever seen one episode of iCarly several years ago and show them a picture of Spencer's apartment set without any of the actors and they'd recognize it. I could go on Zillow or Airbnb right now and find a thousand domiciles that look identical to Carly's apartment.

On a more positive note, I found it genuinely very sweet how Carly tried her best to go all out for Freddie's birthday despite the fact that she hates hers.

Once again I'm probably just being paranoid but I'm suspicious that they wrote iCause a Cat-astrophe and titled it that so people would presume that the "cat" in the title referred to Cat Valentine from Victorious in order to generate more hype.

I'll admit, the finally learning about Carly and Spencer's mom and the big cliffhanger ending of her showing up at the wedding was pretty exciting, but like, they're calling out their mom for walking out on them, but not their dad for choosing to go live on that submarine when they were already down one parent and forcing his son to take on a parental role for his younger sister that he didn't sign up for?

Beyond this point the thoughts basically stop being criticism and start being minor nitpicks:

The original series repeatedly pointed out how weird and sad it was that Spencer didn't have any adult friends, but after 10 years he now has even less friends that aren't via his sister given that T-Bo appears to have skipped town. In the draft of this post I had in my head before I watched season 3, I was also gonna mention Socko being conspicuously absent and make a joke that since this can't be explained by his actor saying no because he didn't have one in the first place, that maybe this is a Ken Penders type situation where Dan Schneider somehow personally owns the rights to Socko specifically somehow, but then Socko and his various unusually aptly named cousins abruptly went from being mentioned zero times in seasons 1 and 2 to 3 times in season 1, so like, is that actually what happened and it took them until season 3 to get the rights to Socko back from him somehow?

In the original series Webicon was supposed to be like Comic-Con and Vidcon at the same time and in the reboot it's a Fyre Fest expy and I am immensely curious how exactly they got from point A to point B.

There is no way in hell Fredward Benson became the coolest most popular kid at school in the like 6 months between Carly and Sam leaving town and graduation. As previously mentioned this show has a lot of contrived plots but that one takes the cake.

I notice they make a lot more pop culture references than they did in the original, even to kid-friendly media. Probably this is due to different IP-related restrictions on streaming vs traditional TV. Some of them are genuinely good but a lot of them were very dated and cringey even when the episodes aired.

What the hell does Mrs. Benson do for a living? Possibly she's old enough to be retired now but she had no visible signs of a job and ample time to abuse Freddie in the original. Is she just getting mad alimony from Freddie's dad?

There were both an episode about Carly throwing an Italian dinner party and a whole arc about Spencer opening a restaurant and Spaghetti Tacos are mentioned in NEITHER of them. This is automatically unforgivable.

In the cold open of i'M Wild and Crazy where they're all playing Never Have I Ever, spencer says "never have I ever gone skydiving", when uuuh, yes, yes you have spencer, you all went skydiving, it was a major plot point in iGo to Japan, a special movie-length episode that was one of the most memorable in the series.

Why are the pearphones shaped like normal phones now? Could the prop department really not have been bothered to make the pearphones again so they just stuck pear stickers on real cell phones and called it a day?

Given how he was a full-on core cast member by the end of the original, I find it very weird how Sam is repeatedly mentioned and we get a cute little lore reason why she's not in the show but Gibby is just treated as if he never existed.

In conclusion, honestly, I think if they wanted to make a continuation of iCarly aimed at adults who grew up with the original, the best way to do it would've been to make it about Spencer. Actually cast someone as Socko, maybe introduce some new characters like a snooty, pretentious more successful artist to be spencer's rival with, or a cute art supply store cashier who he has a will they or won't they with, that kind of thing. It could sort of be a spiritual antithesis to Frasier, y'know, snooty uptight academic vs goofy manchild artist. Failing that, I think they really should've just left iCarly to rest.

#icarly

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dextervexter · 2 years

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Jason Todd/Red Hood

you've activated my fucknig trap card you can't leave this blog ever now you're doomed to sit and listen to me talk about jason

Sexuality Headcanon: Bisexual. the meanest bisexual you can possibly imagine

Gender Headcanon: cis

A ship I have with said character: Roy Harper/Jason Todd. once again I'm such a fucking sucker for the Big/Small ship. they're both pissed off and in love

A BROTP I have with said character: Jason and Dick. I know they've had their differences but I really like the soft moments they've had Jason needs those even if he thinks he doesn't.

A NOTP I have with said character: that's a tough one. Jason has been immensely personal to me for years so the ships I dislike are mainly canon ones. They aren't necessarily wrong or bad they're just...not aligned with my version of him I guess. I don't think I have a NOTP mainly because I know how specific my version of him is so I'm gonna pass

A random headcanon: as usual please have many babydoll

-Jason's eyes turned vividly green whenever he's experiencing intense emotion. If he's excited or happy, them seem to spark. if he's angry however they burn

-Jason is the largest of the robins but also the stealthiest. He can sneak up on anyone and they won't hear him coming until he's right behind them

-Jason has memory issues due to, y'know- literally dying. He's come up with a series of patterns and tricks to help him remember things. Because of this, his home is pretty weird. Things seem messy and out of place but everything is arranged in a way that Jason can remember.

-Jason is intensely protective of those he loves, almost to a fault. He's almost as invasive as Bruce when it comes to knowing where everyone is, what they're doing, and who they're with. He doesn't always accept boundaries when they're laid out. He often decides he knows better and people will thank him for this if they're ever in a situation where they need him

-Roy is one of the only people capable of telling Jason off without immediately getting punched. it's the equivalent of watching an angry cat swat at an annoyed dog though

-Jason is claustrophobic.

-Jason's entire pallet changed after his resurrection. It annoys him because he can't stand some foods he knew he used to like.

-Jason is latino.

-Jason sometimes has roy lie on his back if he's doing pushups. he says he needs the extra weight to up his workout, but really he just likes being close to roy. he also gets bored easily and needs the entertainment.

General Opinion over said character: He's very important to me as a character. I first learned about him back when I was like 15 when watching Under the Red Hood. His story was equal parts fascinating and heartbreaking. The more I read about him the more I loved him. I've always loved angry characters who toe the line of morality and with Jason, it's always so good.

Deep down I think Jason has always been trying to erase himself, rebuild himself into someone who can't be hurt ever again. He does this by violently destroying anything that was a part of who he was before he died. He doesn't care about who he hurts or how his actions affect his family or his friends, because for him it was always about never allowing the notion of vulnerability come close to him ever again.

I think the only thing I dislike is when he's characterized as a soft sad boy who just wants to be loved and guards himself out of low fear of rejection an not being worthy of normal relationships. (I've seen canon and fanon like this and I kind of hate it) Jason isn't always a good person, in fact a large majority of his development is based on him not being a good person at all. Prior to his death there were even several moments where it's heavily implied he's killed before and has no problem with it. I think over the years writers and fans take the concept of anger and turn it into a very sad thing, a lonely thing; instead of what Jason's anger was: a direct result of the failures of Bruce, Gotham, and the violence of the world he once thought was worth protecting. Jason's anger may not be palatable to some but it's an important part of his character, and a major motivator to protect his family and his loved ones. Softening that takes away from his growth.

In general, as character he's very solid, but I also think what his arc did to comic books was deeply fascinating. His death gave fans more control of story lines in my opinion. For better or worse I don't really know but it's interesting to think about. I also think he was integral to the process of learning how to replace popular sidekicks at the time. His story started out as an almost exact replica of Dick's and underwent a lot of changed to separate him from the first Robin. A lot of who Jason is was decided out of concern that this new sidekick was just a copy of his successor and I find the process of his creation and established role very cool

#thanks for asking!#im still doing these character asks so feel free to send me any character you want to hear me ramble

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barnesandrogersfanfics · 4 years

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Home - Part 1

Summary: Fresh out of a divorce, Y/N moves to Sun Valley for a fresh start, a house left to her by her aunt and a new job as a nanny.

James 'Bucky' Barnes owns a law firm and has been left with three kids after his wife died giving birth to their youngest.

Bucky is nervous about leaving the kids with a nanny but he cant keep finding babysitters and the kids need someone more permanent around.

The Barnes kids were great, we hit it off straight away and i settled into a new routine with the family. Brooklyn and Alice were at school for most of the day so it was just me and Rosie. While Rosie had her afternoon nap i'd do the house work and make sure everything was done so that James didn't have to worry about it when he got home. Once that was done it was usually time to pick the girls up from school, on the way home we'd stop off at the park for half hour before we headed home. When we got home id sort out their dinner and put something together for James for when he got home, when that finally happened id give him a quick run down of our day and head back to the farm house.

After spending all day with the girls, the farm house felt so big and empty with just me there.

It was a friday morning and i had just arrived at the Barnes residence ready for my day when James came strolling in carrying Rosie and greeting me with a smile.

"Morning Y/N"

"Good morning, where are the other little monsters?"

"They insisted on dressing themselves for school today"

"Oh god help us" i chuckled, this was gonna be funny. Brook would probably be okay but Allie? I could already picture her wearing bright colours and a tutu!

"Oh my.... dont you girls look beautiful" James said suddenly with wide eyes.

As i thought.... Brook was doing okay, she had on jeans and tshirt with her converse sneakers but Allie?..... she was wearing a stripy pink and purple sweater, pink tutu and red cowboy boots.

"Y/N!!" Allie said called happy when she saw me and run into my arms "i missed you!"

"I missed you! But i havent been gone that long" i chuckled "and what are you wearing today?"

"My favourite boots and my tutu! Daddy said i can wear what i want"

"Well you look so pretty!"

"I tried to tell her not to wear the tutu" Brook rolled her eyes as she took her seat at the table. Allie went and took her seat next to Brook and i held my hands out for Rosie "i'll sort miss Rosie out while you have your breakfast" i said to James, he smiled and handed her over.

"Thanks" he winked before sitting at the head of the table and pouring himself a cup of coffee while i set up Rosie in her high chair and gave her her breakfast.

"Y/N, i might be late tonight. Ive got a big case coming up and there's still so much to prep..... would you be okay staying?"

"Yeah sure, thats fine"

"Thank you! I dont know what id do without you"

"Its not a problem, i was only going to be at home watching TV anyway" i shrugged.

"How's things going with the house, you more settled?"

"Not really, I'm gonna be getting rid of some of my aunts furniture this weekend, I've ordered some stuff more to my liking. Im sure it'll be better once its more me....you know?"

"Yeah, it still feels like your aunts house having all her stuff there"

"Exactly, i feel like i shouldn't be there" i shrugged "doesn't help its so quiet, its been a long time since I've lived on my own and then after spending all day here with the girls...."

"I can imagine" he nodded taking a mouthful of his coffee "so who did you live with before coming here? Friends? boyfriend?...."

"Erm....husband actually" i told him shaking my head "but that is a story for another time, when there's no little ears around" i smiled and turned my attention back to Rosie.

After dropping the girls at school i headed to the store with Rosie to get a few bits, i thought it'd be kinda fun to have a girls movie night being as James was working late. I grabbed some popcorn and some chocolate and saw the cutest pyjamas! They were pink with unicorns on in both kids and adult sizes so i grabbed us all a pair (my treat).

After the store we went back to the house and had lunch, Rosie sat watching cartoons while i cleaned up the kitchen.

The afternoon flew by and i was soon stood out the front of the school waiting for the girls to come out. Brook was out first i gave her a hug before taking her school bag and hanging it from the handle of the push chair.

"How was you day Brook?" I was asking as i looked up only to see Allie running towards me. She crashed into my legs holding tight.

"Woah, Whats wrong Allie?" I bent down to her level so i could talk to her properly.

"Mrs Harper was mean to me about my tutu!"

"Who's Mrs Harper?"

"Her teacher" Brook replied for her sister who was still holding onto me.

"Well Mrs Harper obviously has no fashion sense sweetheart. You look so pretty!"

"Mrs Barnes??...." i heard a woman call out heading our way.

"Thats Mrs Harper!" Brook rolled her eyes at the woman.

"Mrs Barnes, can i have word?" The woman marched over "I'm Mrs Harper, i just wanted to talk to you about Alice's attire. Its not appropriate for school...."

"Im sorry, Mrs Harper was it?? Whats the big deal?? I'm not seeing the point of making a big deal out of this??"

"It makes the school look bad....."

"Shes 5! Who cares what shes wearing! If Allie wants to wear a tutu and cowboy boots then thats what she'll wear"

"Your okay with her wearing that?"

"Why wouldn't i be?? she's a kid, they like to dress up. Im sure by Monday she'll be back in jeans and t-shirt, but if she wants to wear a tutu and cowboy boots then thats what she'll wear! She's not hurting anyone"

"Maybe Mr Barnes would have different opinion...."

"Feel free to call him, I'm sure he'd love to hear your opinion"

"So thats all you've got to say on the matter??"

"No actually..... if i hear you've upset my kid again?.... you'll regret it" i said quietly to her so the girls couldn't hear.

"Come on girls lets go home".

When we got home the girls had an early dinner, while they were eating i thought id better call James and tell him about Mrs Harper just incase she did call him.

"Hey, everything okay?" He answered on the third ring.

"Hi, yeah everything's good. I just thought id tell you about what happened at the school this afternoon"

"Okayyyy...."

"I may have gone on the attack a little at Allie's teacher...."

"Mrs Harper huh?"

"Thats the one. Allie came running out upset saying Mrs Harper had been mean about what she was wearing, low and behold out came Mrs Harper asking to speak to me. Told me Allie's attire wasn't appropriate and made the school look bad!" I told him.

"What did you say that?" He asked sounding amused.

"I told her that no one cares what a 5 year old is wearing for school and that if Allie wants to continue wearing her tutu and cowboy boots then she will! Thats when she said that maybe you would have a different opinion on the matter.... i told her to feel free to call you, that you'd love to hear her opinion"

"Oh i want her to call me!" He scoffed "i'd give her my opinion alright"

"Well she might call you to complain about me more than anything.... she asked if thats all i had to say on the matter.... i told her if i hear shes upset my kid again that she'll regret it. Im sorry James but she was pissing me off! How dare she!"

I was expecting him to be mad at me for kinda threatening Allie's teacher but he started to laugh.

"You dont need to apologise, id of done the same"

"Even still i thought id give you a heads up incase she did call you"

"Thank you, how are the girls?"

"Their great, their just having dinner then we're gonna have a girls movie night"

"Sounds fun! I wish i could join you guys"

"No boys allowed sorry" i laughed "well i'll let you get back to it"

"Okay tell my girls i love them and i'll see them in the morning?"

"Of course, bye".

#sebastian stan #reader insert #steve rogers #bucky barnes #bucky x reader #buck barnes x reader #chris evans #home

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iameks · 4 years

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I don't know what to say about this episode. It was so intense and I have no words at the moment, but I'll try ti say something.

Warnings:

I'm gonna tell you this, I will speak about chenford at last because I have too much to say about them. So, if you are looking to that part just go to the last part of this post

I hope I put everything crucial in my comment, but I started to write it like two hours ago so, I'll add anything that is missing later.

I'm sorry if my English isn't the best, I'm just too tired to check everything again, so please don't be rude about it.

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM EPISODE 2x19, SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET DON'T READ.

Jackson & Rios:

The bar scene, the competition to who was the best was really fun. I liked it especially when they put Nolan in the middle.

One thing is sure, Rios should have listened at his T.O., but like Tim said sometimes things happen.

I loved how Jackson tried to take Rios awake during the race to the hospital and how he checked on him until he died, constantly.

I wanna hug Jackson too, I almost cried (or maybe I did)

Lucy & Emmet:

The wake up scene was cute and I loved to see Lucy this way after Caleb. Maybe they should have explore more her trauma, but considering the events and that she had everyone helping her to move on I think is ok.

I didn't like how he stepped in when Tim was just doing his job. I understand that is not good to look at that scene from Emmet point of view, but Lucy was clear about "playing it cool", so why he did it? But, anyway, I love how she respond to him before leave.

The forgiveness scene, uhm, I don't know, I think she accepted the apology just because of what happened? I don't mean that she should leave him just because of that, I mean everyone can make a mistake, but.. It was to easy, isn't it?

Detective Lopez:

The chitchat with Jackson about the wedding was so fun, I really enjoy it.

What can I say, I loved her. I love her.

The way Gray trusted her, let her investigate on a dirty cop and how she was thankful despite the circumstances.

I liked her even when she let Armstrong being in charge, she had done the right thing respecting her superior on the field.

Nyla:

I liked how she trusted Nolan enough to made him taking care of the evidence in the car.

When she came back from the court for her daughter custody and understood wasn't Nolan's fault if the gun was missing.

The good news of the day, is really good. I'm happy for her and I hope to see more of Harper mom side. I appreciate that she share her news with Nolan and the thank part. I think he really needed it after everything.

Nolan:

The way he tried to help Erin with his advice was cute. It bringht out his father's side and I like it.

When he wanted to go with Harper to have her back I appreciated it. He collecting all the proof, securing it, lock it down in the garage was important

When he convinced Harper to go to the court I smiled. "priority".

When he figured out the gun was missing i really and he go to Sergent Gray he made me proud. I mean, I know it wasn't his fault, but he didn't.

The scene with Erin in the field was touchy, until Armstrong's shot I really thought she wasn't going to die.

To comment the moment when he found out about Armstrong I think I need to see next episode to se how he's going to handle it. I mean, he was really smart to review his bodycam, but how it will go it's up on him.

The mole:

Okay, then, when Armstrong arrived into the garage I thought "maybe it's him", but at the same time I felt like I couldn't be more wrong. Then they found about Erin when Angela reviewed everyone's bodycam that I really thought I was wrong. But I don't know how to explain this.. You know when you consciously have a thought, but there's a voice inside you that keep telling you the opposite? This is what happened. So, in the last scene when we understood he was the mole, I was just "oh my God, I knew it! I knew it!"

Lucy & Jackson:

I definitely love how they look out for each other.

I loved when Lucy told Emmet to go just to stay with his roommate because he needed her.

Best friendship ever.

Chenford:

We have too much going on guys, too much in just one episode and think I freaked out. Just a bit.

How cute was when he point out that Lucy was smiling a lot recently? To me was like he was saying "I'm keeping an eye on you"

When he was talking to Rios' T.O. about the rookies, the danger and everything and he automatically looked at Lucy? All I can thought about was "but you saved her, she's safe and it's not your fault what happened"

When he screamed out at Lucy because her gun's hand wasn't clear. Omg, I think he was going to punch Emmet when he talked. I mean, Tim maybe doesn't have the best way to teach something, but he was just doing his job. I think he was worried to not have enough time to teach her everything he know to survive on the streets. But Emmet, just made it worst and pissed him of.

The conversantion between them before breaking in that apartment I don't really sure I understand it. I mean, okay he needed her focus to have his back and the angrier wasn't helping. But angry with who? Tim? Rio's killer? Emmet? Everyone?

The shop's conversation. 1) Emmet is not Lucy's boyfriend. Can I guess it's nothing serious like they're just having fun or it's too soon to tell? 2) The part that he said that he won't be there in 30 days to keep her safe. I don't know, I really don't know what to say. He's so worried of everything that can happen to Lucy. 3) when Tim said that the next month wouldn't be easy because he knew she could handle it? And what about Lucy told him that he was sweet? What can I say.. I think it was fantastic, I really was looking at them with heart eyes 4) the best part is this, definitely, was when she said their friends and he didn't say no. He didn't. And I almost screamed. And I just can't. Tim and Lucy together are too much for this world.

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verobatto · 4 years

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Harper's Love Letter as a guide to decipher what Dean is gonna say in his pray to Cas

Parallel between 14x06 and 15x10 plus an analysis of 11/05/19' quote of the day.

Okay, first of all, I want you to read my meta from episode Optimism 14x06, the link is here...

With that meta in mind, I want to describe to you the following points...

14x06 gave us the idea of the Destiel Break up.

It also gave us Harper, a Dean mirror.

It talked about how Dean had to choose between John Winchester (his past) and Cas and family (his present ) in episode 14x13.

It gave us Harper's realization about his feelings, while she was writing her love letter to Jack.

And I put that in red because is very very important, because is our guide to follow the steps to this story... And is a possible parallel to Dean's future prayer to CAS, and will tell us if Dean is gonna confess his true feelings... The so awaited I LOVE YOU to Cas... Let's check that letter...

"Jack, I'm already writing. Isn't that crazy? I'm not crazy. But our love is so vivid. I can't wait to find you. You are the first man to ever get me to leave McCook. Now I'm in the world. I'm sorry I have to kill you for what you did to Vance but then I can bring you back so that we can be together again.

It's gonna be perfect. See you soon. Love, Harper"

Okay, a lot of things right here. This is a love letter, a realization she has, she's accepting she is in love with Jack and she wants to find him and be together.

Splendid... But what this has to do with Dean future prayer? Everything...

Our love is so vivid. Dean could be mentioning his feelings for Castiel, Jensen choose the word CONFESSION. To describe what Dean will say in that prayer. People confess what is hidden in their hearts, things that maybe could be bad things or shameful things. Maybe... "The love cloaked in shadows" as Qareen said in season 11 while she was describing Dean's feelings and darkest desire.

This love for Castiel will maybe be confessed by Dean in his prayers...

You're the first man to ever get me to leave McCook

In my meta I said McCook was representing John Winchester, the Righteous Man, bc he was a General, a soldier, a righteous man too. And if you readed the meta, Jack leave that book (the McCook biography) on the fence, and they ran together holding hands. And I said DEAN WILL CHOOSE CASTIEL. Because CAS is the first person who get him leave that hard idea about being the macho Man righteous man, and perfect soldier and protector John Winchester had left in his mind. He's now a man in love with a male angel. So maybe Dean will say thanks to CAS for everything he had done for him, and how Castiel had changed him.

I'm sorry I have to kill you for what you did to Vance

This is accurate to describe when Dean pushed Cas away, and the excuse was Mary's death, but not really the real excuse, we all know Dean was mad, angry, because he believes his love isn't real. So maybe Dean will ask for forgiveness, in his prayers. Revealing his fears about his feelings not being real. Knowing now his feelings for Castiel are real as Cas said.

I can bring you back so we can be together again.

Maybe Dean will ask Cas to come back or maybe... And this is the spoiler my friend @agusvedder and I have...

Maybe in mid season 15x09, Jack is back from death, Dean confess Castiel his feelings for him, Cas will feel finally happy, and the Empty will take him giving us the cliffhanger of mid season finale.

And maybe, just maybe, the spec I wrote in this meta related to episode 14x16 will become truth, and Dean will rescue Castiel from the Empty. Using the same spell Nick used to communicate with Lucifer and he even was able to see Lucifer's true form and woke him up... And because I described in one of my METAS that was a Dark Destiel mirror, we could dream Dean will be able to open the Empty gate, find Castiel and see his true form. Damn... I wish that...

Okay, I will talk about the quote the Supernatural crew wrote for episode 15x10...

The first part of this quote is related to Dean... It talks about someone describing himself as fire, and people who this person love, becoming ashes because of him...

Remember people in the town calling Harper BAD LUCK, BECAUSE EVERYTHING SHE TOUCHED DIED?

And remember Crowley in season 9 saying Dean was like that too, everyone who get involved with him ended dead?

That's Dean, my friends ... And I want to say, I never related a quote of the day with Destiel, but this one, for the first time, this is DESTIEL.

Okay, second part... Talks about that person meeting a phoenix who was born to love flames... This is Castiel. No doubt of it, Castiel was always by his side, no matter what...

Even if Dean would burn the world, Castiel would be by his side...

But Phoenix people, I had this theory I wrote last year... About Supernatural's characters and something I called THE PHOENIX COMPLEX. You can read the metas here and here.

Last year they used Phoenix's quotes related to Jack... But this year... Is Castiel. Each TFW's member is a Phoenix.

Okay... Do you see Destiel all over that quote? Bc it is... And is episode 10, so... Maybe Cas is already in the Empty, according to the spec i said before... And because Dean had his REALIZATION WHEN HE WAS SATING OUT LOUD HE LOVES CASTIEL IN HIS PRAYERS, now he won't stop till get Castiel back.

You know when you are explaining something or confessing something out loud, sometimes you learn from yourself, you are listening to your own words, and is like RIGHT! IS LIKE THIS! OF COURSE!! And is like a crazy realization? Okay, that's what I think will happen to Dean, he will be praying out loud, listening to himself, and he will have this realization. And also, not having Castiel in front of him, will help him to use his own words, without any kind of sabotage from his own mouth. Is harder to talk about feelings when you have your crush in front of you...

Okay, that's all my friends, I just wanted to write this down and share it with all of you!

Kisses and love!

Tagging @metafest @gneisscastiel @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @agusvedder @weirddorkylittlediana @michyribeiro @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @angelneedshunter @trickster-archangel @dea-stiel @mybonsai1976 @anarchiana @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @destielshipper221b @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @feathered-castiel @bre95611 @zoerayne2426 @justmeand-myinsight @proccastinate

Buenos Aires November 6th 2019 4:24 PM

#destiel #destiel meta #supernatural meta #15x10 spec #15x09 spec #dean prays to cas #meta spec #14x06 and 15x09 parallel

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forthemultiverse · 5 years

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Could Halo Be A Mole?

Young Justice Season One has given me serious trust issues – and Season Two didn’t do anything to fix that: Kaldur, Jaime, Lex at the end of the season, etc, but anyway, I just don’t buy Terra as being this season’s big betrayal. The Judas Contract is so well known at this point that even if they didn’t show us, we would’ve all know she was with Slade. Dr Jace is a pretty good candidate for a later betrayal, but that wasn’t subtle either; the fact she was technically working with Bedlam at the start of the season, taking Halo's DNA, wanting to be with the kids so much, and the mentioning of her lost child.

I started to think about the Young Justice on Apokolips story in the comics, and, well Greta Hayes has a biggish role, yet in Earth-16, she's be shown as just a ghost. Obviously, the show isn’t comics accurate and they could completely leave this aspect of the story out, but that didn’t stop me from falling down a research rabbit hole, and now, I reckon Halo could potentially be the twist betrayal of the Season following a storyline that takes moments from Greta’s.

There were a few things that drew me to Halo when thinking about a mole,

S3E1 – she let the assassins in, she’s shocked and taken captive which implies it’s an accident, but the guy who actually killed them was a suicide killer. Bedlam used him then killed him and she could be in the same situation. The Wiki said she had a job and was just afraid of the guards, which is why she was hiding but I do not buy that. It looked like she was trying to steal something in that scene.

Her memory problems, why create a character with no memories and then have those memories mean literally nothing? I’m waiting for them all to come back and for there to be some big bombshell in them.

The New Genesis/Apokolips connection formed by making her part Motherbox

The comment Silas Stone made about how technology can be neither good nor bad, it’s the user that’s responsible (I’ll come back to this point).

The Scene in Triptych after Halo goes Dues Ex Machina white and gets Brion back off Shade, well, the way Forager says ‘Halo happened’ wasn’t happy, it sounded like he was concerned/scared, like there was a ‘…’ at the end of the sentence. Brion and Halo smiled at each other which caused Forager to smile too, but considering he’s the one from New Genesis, if he’s worried, I’m going to be a little worried too.

Conner literally says, ‘we can’t let a girl in with no memories, she might be brainwashed or soemthing and we don’t want another Red Arrow situation’

Finally, more of a random thought I had, The Judas Contract has; a Markovian Royal, a relationship, and betrayal, so, what if, instead of the royal betraying the person who’s romantically interested in them (Terra and Gar), it’s the royal that gets betrayed by his girlfriend (Brion and Halo). It fits well since Perdita/Gardita is there and there doesn’t seem to be a reason to break them up. After working out those things, I started to research things that could be similar between Greta/Secret and Halo – by the way, I’m gonna refer to her as Halo because…well her ‘human’ name changes.

Some Similarities: Can’t remember their lives before their superhero ones, rescued by then joined teams, have powers connected to life and death, and have been separated from their powers at the end of their stories before (or well, Halo’s become two beings, one human and one super)

Not relevant to the story but I thought it was a nice coincidence: Greta went by Suzie because when the YJ girls were talking about getting her a name, Cissie suggests using one of hers (Suzanne) and on Earth-16, she gets dubbed Violet by Brion and then takes Harper from Will Harper – they both get their names from their new friends.

Now, details from the YJ Darkseid comic story: The team ended up on Apokolips (due to some things to do with fighting on earth) and Tower of Babel had just happened which lead to mistrust in Tim, who was the leader at the time.

While The Team is mentally tortured, Greta is taken to speak to Darkseid, who reveals her backstory and real name. He offers to be her mentor. The team escape with the help of an army of Lobo's, she doesn't tell them anything other than her real name.

Later on, the team says no to rescuing her dad (he killed her brother so’s in jail) She does it anyway and goes into a fit of rage, vanishes to accept Darkseid's offer.

The team prepare to go against her as she starts absorbing life (I think that's what she does, I can't remember, she's doing something bad that I'm pretty sure is killing a lot of things) Tim talks her down and appeals to the good in her. She breaks down crying and fixes everything she did.

Darkseid punishes her by taking away all her powers and immortality, not realising that being normal is all Greta ever wanted to be.

Not sure where in the timeline this bit is: Greta's dad is possessed by her brother when she saves him, and he chucks them both into a fire, seemingly killing them both, and I think that's when Greta goes to Apokolips and the team are told to take her betrayal as a lesson by their mentor (Snapper Carr - the guys who’s at M’gann and Conners house all the time)

Season Three is about the Anti-Life Equation and Meta-Human Trafficking, so this type of betrayal storyline doesn’t have to happen, but like I said earlier, trust issues, so hear me out. I don’t think Halo is secretly evil or anything, but you have to consider the Motherbox of it all, because that is connected to the Anti-Life Equation, and being part Motherbox is going to have some kind of effect on Halo’s character arc/morals.

Things To Know About Motherboxes

New Genesis-based, and though the people who created them are known, their true nature and origin aren’t.

Provide user with unconditional love, to the point they self-destruct when the owner dies (NOT MAKING THIS BIT UP) and can only be made by beings of New Genesis and Apokolips

Who is the owner Halo’s Motherbox since she’s died multiple times and it’s not blown up. A few people have Motherboxes – like Orion (Darkseid’s son) who is the defender of New Genesis, and in the past, DS has switched his box to try and control him.

Coming back to that Silas comment, tech isn’t good or evil, it’s the user, well who is her user???

A Motherbox saved Darkseid after he was defeated by Doomsday

Get their powers from life-giving sources

Fatherboxes: Apokolips based, can bring people under Darkseid’s influence, get their power from the Anti-Life Equation

So, Victor keeps going bad because of the Fatherbox, but the Motherbox makes him good? Surely that could be a two-way thing, and Motherboxes could go bad?

And here’s what I think could happen in Season Three B,

We’ve been shown Bart going through an enemy boom tube in the trailer, and considering Granny Goodness is a Darkseid Agent, we can predict that he ends up on Apokolips (I could go into detail about Bart’s fear of dying that caused him to retire for a bit in the comics but not relevant). If he, and the meta’s with him, need rescuing, Halo could end up on Apokolips too. While others are captured, she comes face to face with Darkseid, who gives her memories of her old life and offers her a place on his side. Whether she says yes or no doesn’t really matter, because she can now be crashing into an identity crisis or having to fight ‘Halo’/Motherbox for control of her body. Her Motherbox could also be corrupted by Darkseid during this conversation, something slipped on her arm, in a drink, just his mind entering the boxes.

Darkseid could be using her Motherbox to spy on the team without Halo even knowing, all Roy Season One, or she could just eventually give in and let the Motherbox take control of her. Once losing control she becomes a minion of Darkseid and the team now need to find a way to separate her.

(Angst on how people feel as not everyone realises she’s being controlled at first and just thinks he betrayed them)

To separate Halo from the Motherbox, it could go very Greta like, the team get a breakthrough with her and Darkseid punishes her by stripping the Motherbox side of her, leaving her normal. I’d kinda like that? Maybe? Because she’d get to be happy and live a normal life, she could still return to the Team eventually, using technology like Rockets (Yes I lowkey want Rocket to get to mentor someone just so she can be back in the story a little lol)

Another option is Dr Helga Jace. I already mentioned that she seemed shady, and she really does, she gets even shadier when you research her.

CW Black Lightning has her as a character: involved with illegal experiments, lost rights to see her child, made an anti-ageing serum for Tobias Whale (remember when I mentioned him in Halo research earlier?? – he’s with Intergang by the way, the people who had a Fatherbox in Season Two)

Prime Earth: she’s neither good or evil, appeared in Suicide Squad comics, the team that Halo joined.

New Earth: Royal Markovian Scientist, secretly a member of the Manhunter Cult, installed a psychic control on Metamorpho before using him to attack the Outsiders, helped Halo get her memories back.

Now, that mention of psychic control made me think back to Halo in Prime Earth…she was being mind controlled by the Kobra Cult…huh. The reason she got free of the mind control was because a scientist double-crossed the Kobra Cult. HUH.

And Tobias Whale…a Black Lightning villain…who hired Syonide to kill Halo and her parents…

Pause to explain why this little bit is important, sorry for all the info dumping, Syonide isn’t some super prominent assassin in the DC Universe, but she killed Violet Harper, her parents, and she was sent to kill a Russian Scientist that Phantom Lady was protecting (I promise this could actually be relevant). Obviously, Dr Jace isn’t Russian, she’s Markovian, but considering that scientist doesn’t even have a name, I don’t think it’s that much of a problem if she took his place. Reason why this could actually be important, one it connects another scientist to Halo, but also, Phantom Lady was going to lose, Syonide had teamed up with Merlyn to kill this person, and WALLY WEST FLASH saved them.

So, I think Dr Jace is shady, research points that she probably is, but after she’s revealed to have still been dabbling in meta-human experiments, she could bargain with the Team. They need her as an insider to save Halo. She double-crossed the bad guys to get Halo back in control of herself (like the scientist who did it in the Kobra Cult story) and when Darkseid comes to get her, the Team, specifically Dick, Artemis, and Conner, are in charge of protecting her, they start to get a little overwhelmed and started talking about how much easier it used to be and how much they miss their old team, and boom, Wally has a lightning rod to come back from the speed force to help them. Happy Reunion and Halo’s no longer evil. Wooo. That last bit’s just a hope because I miss Wally, but I stand by Dr Jace being key to helping the team while still being morally grey. Plus, if she gets Halo back to normal pretty quickly, Halo could then be a spy for the team, a way to get one over on Darkseid.

Terra gets her Slade plot, but it could play out as an upward arc: she’s betraying them of her own choice and regrets it so bad once she gets to know everyone. She comes to their side, everyone thinks they’re in the clear because they’ve got the mole! Then Halo’s revealed to be with Darkseid. It would be such a good twist and the set-up is there.

Let me know what you think of this theory! (Doubt anyone’s actually gonna read it all but I had to get it all down lmao)

Anyway: Here’s my insanity board though I doubt it’s good enough quality to really be read

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caranfindel · 5 years

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Recap/review 14.06: “Optimism”

THEN: Starts out pretty ominous, with clock-ticky music, Jack's grace getting sucked out, "this is the end of everything," and Jack considering himself useless. We're reminded that New Charlie exists (aw, Dean looked so pretty in AU Land) and Jack has "the mind of a hunter." Michael hurting people and Dean feels guilty (aw, Sam's Beard of Despair, how I miss you). Sounds like we're in for a real downer of an episode, friends.

NOW: Nebraska. Happy music. A cheerful librarian opens up shop, and she's cute as can be but I wore that blouse in the 80s and it needs to stay there (JUST SAY NO TO THE RUFFLED YOKE, LADIES). Her name is Harper, and she has a kind-of-date with a guy named Winston tonight, though she is clearly Not Into You, Winston. An (apparent) coworker named Miles hears her "scream" and comes to her aid, brandishing a stapler, and is reminded that he needs to mind his own business. Winston leaves, clearly walking on air, and then STAYIN' ALIVE STARTS PLAYING and we focus on Winston's feet just like the iconic opening scene of Saturday Night Fever (if you're too young to remember, watch this, IT'S IMPORTANT CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE and there WILL BE A QUIZ LATER) and y'all don't even know how much I love this song. YOU DON'T KNOW. I can't help it. My mom was a huge Bee Gees fan, partially because she was very into Barry Gibb.

Coincidence?

What can I say? I am my mother's child.

Now, where were we?

(Pretty much where we always are, so could you please just move this along?)

Sorry for the digression. Anyway. Now I suspect this isn't going to be a downer episode after all. (Turns out it was directed by Richard Speight, which would have been a clue if I'd known that earlier, bless him.) While I've been digressing, Winston has happily bopped down the street, only to have a hand cover his mouth and drag him off-screen. There's a record scratch and a squirt of dark goo and a scream, so I guess it did turn out to be a downer for Winston, but not for me.

Title card!

{Sidebar: I didn't realize Saturday Night Fever was directed by John Badham, who went on to direct several episodes of Supernatural.}

Jack's drinking coffee in the bunker. He takes a sip and then pours a huge amount of sugar into it, which immediately makes me think of this scene from The Fly when Jeff Goldblum, who does not yet realize that he is turning into a fly, does the same thing.

(Spoiler alert: Ahem.)

Dean walks in and asks what he's doing, and Jack explains that everything tastes different without his powers, and he can't get the coffee to taste the way he likes it. That's because coffee is nasty, Jack. (And also, thanks to the Continuity Fairy for remembering that food tasted different to Cas when he didn't have grace.) Dean asks if Jack has seen Sam, because that's what Dean does; he probably walked in the door and felt a disturbance in the Force and realized he didn't know where Sam was. From Jack, we learn that (1) Dean went on an overnight run to Mobby's love shack cabin and (b) Sam went on a hunt with Charlie without telling Dean. Is Dean okay with this? Are we gonna okay with this? Couldn't he have at least sent a text message? He's supposed to be setting an example!

"Explain to me again how you just let Sam LEAVE."

I guess Sam had to go himself, rather than send someone else, because this is one of those times when there's no random hunters in the bunker. (And where's Rowena? Did Charlie abandon her in the Southwest? Did they have a fight?) Jack imagines Sam and Charlie are doing something "really exciting."

Cut to Sam and Charlie sitting quietly in a truck outside Memphis, bored out of their minds. Hee! It's the kind of crappy old truck I always want Sam to drive, so I love it. They're staring at a bus stop with an ad for Pete the Pestinator, who seems to be an insect exterminator. (Spoiler alert: ahem again.) Sam confirms that "this is where all those people went missing," although if he's been sitting in that truck long enough to be bored, he really should have nailed that down by now. Charlie says "yep." More silent sitting.

Back to the bunker. Dean seems surprised that Sam left Jack there alone (where's Cas?) and Jack says "Sam wanted someone around when you came back. He's worried about you."

"Yeah, that sounds like him," Dean grumbles, and hello, kettle, the pot just called, and said you're black. Jack offers some encouragement, telling him no one blames him for Michael, and Dean says "Cool. Well, I blame me, so." His self-flagellation is interrupted by Jack's Cough of Great Concern. "Maybe I'm allergic to sitting around doing nothing," Jack snarks.

Dean sits down for a heart-to-heart, and Jack says he's been hunting with Cas and wants to do more. Dean says "No offense, Cas is an insurance policy on those hunts." Jack looks hurt. I don't understand this at all. Why wouldn't Jack already know that Cas is there to protect him? And why would this hurt his feelings? I'm so confused. But I immediately forget it, because Dean says "Sam's just trying to keep you safe, okay? He's a smart guy." AND THEN WE CUT TO THIS.

Bless you, Richard Speight, writer Steve Yockey, bless you both.

I literally did burst out laughing at Sam and his fidget spinner. Charlie is not amused, and Sam puts his toy away with some embarrassment.

Bunker. Jack's found a report on our dead friend Winston, who seemed to have human bitemarks taken out of his corpse. And others have gone missing in the area. We skip part of a conversation, but whatever it was, Dean says Sam won't like it. "Sam's not here," says Jack. Oh, no you don't, Jack. Don't you go ignoring the Chief's directives just because he's not here. Dean says he'll go check it out alone, but Jack suddenly remembers Sam's Law and reminds Dean about the Buddy System.

We can be hunting buddies!

Okay, uh, (a), don't call it that, and (b), YOU'RE gonna back ME up?

Oh, Dean. You didn't do the (1) and (b) thing that I love so much. Jack gets to be the one to bare a little bit of his soul now, telling Dean that he also feels guilty about Michael, because he could have killed him but he was "distracted and stupid." He doesn't want to sit around feeling guilty all day, he wants to hunt.

Looks like that was the right button to push, because we cut to Sam on the phone, clearly not a fan of the plan and telling Dean to be careful. I assume his reluctance is because he doesn't trust Jack to watch Dean's back. But Sam, if you can trust Maggie to hunt alone, you can trust Dean with a novice backup. (I know, I know, Dean is more important than Maggie.)

Sam asks again if Charlie is sure this is the right place, and she says it's where four people disappeared. And while she was scouting around, she found a mason jar full of goo. Is this the same goo we saw when Winston was killed? (Spoiler alert: no.) And now she's trying to figure out what they're hunting, so she's reading. I'd have done my reading before the stakeout, but that's just me. (I'd also have done some reading instead of sitting there glaring at Sam while he enjoyed his fidget spinner, but that's also just me.)

(I also might have thought of more interesting things to do while I was stuck in a car with Sam, but they would have interfered with the stakeout. And they aren't anything Charlie would have been interested in anyway.)

Cut to Dick's Red Rooster Diner (ha ha, I see you, Speight). According to Winston's obituary, he had breakfast here every morning. Jack agrees with me that it's an odd thing to put in an obituary, but Dean says that when someone dies young, you don't know what to put in those things. (Oh, think of 20-something Dean's obituary.) He introduces them to the waitress as Agents Berry and Charles, and the only thing I can think of is Chuck Berry, so if someone has a better idea, let me know. He asks for details about Winston, and the only detail she can provide is that he's dead. Jack dutifully writes that detail in his little notebook. (BLESS.)

This waitress is wonderfully snippy, knows her rights, and isn't the least bit interested in talking to these FBI agents, but when Dean hands her some cash she changes her mind. She says they should should be more interested in Harper, who Winston just started "courting," and Jack is confused.

What's courting?

It's what you do before you start dating.

Ah, and that's the thing you do before the sex.

Sometimes you just have the sex.

Okay, Dean's wrong, courting is what you do instead of dating, but this is still a wonderful exchange. And the next part is wonderful too, cutting between the waitress and some customers explaining that Harper was popular in high school, but her boyfriend ran off, and now all these men connected to her have died, and she's really into romance books, and ending on I've heard too much Dean and I'm confused Jack.

Love this.

Back at the stakeout, Sam's biting his nails, which I also love for some reason, and of course the only time we've ever seen him bite his nails was when he was worried about Dean. New Charlie picks right up on it. She tells him Dean will be fine, and comments that he's got other friends, right? Which I don't understand, because it doesn't matter what other friends he has, he's not hunting with them. He's hunting with Jack. "He used to have a pretty damn good wingman," Sam says, and I think no, Sam, what are you saying, he still has you. She says he should call "that guy" to check on him, and Sam says "that guy was you." Charlie gives him a look. "No, it wasn't." And she's right, Sam. SHE IS NOT YOUR CHARLIE. And also, was Charlie ever really Dean's wingman? I don't think so. Sam, of course. Cas, literal wingman. But not Charlie. Charlie was the little sister.

Sam apologizes, and then says "I'm just saying, I'm not surprised you survived the apocalypse." Which isn't what you were saying at all, Sam. Charlie is surprised she survived, because she was just a programmer at Richard Roman Enterprises (Dick Roman! I wonder what happened to your AU version), living with the love of her life, Cara. My heart skipped a beat because I was so ready, guys, for the love of Charlie's life to be Dr. Cara Roberts from Sex and Violence, but apparently not. {Sidebar fic prompt: Sam. Charlie. Dr. Cara. Three-way.) Charlie's Cara was a baker. Charlie tells a sad story about waiting for help that never came, and Cara eventually being killed by people, not angels. Society falls apart. (Or, as Dean once said, demons I get; people are crazy.) Sam insists society isn't falling apart here, and Charlie says "not yet."

Just like last week, we're getting some needed differentiation between the characters we lost and their AU counterparts, which I appreciate.

I also appreciate pretty, attentive, sympathetic Sam.

Diner. Dean calls Jack "Mighty Mouse," for some reason, and congratulations him on finding a case. He tries to teach him about the importance of pie, but Jack's more interested in courting. He's never been exposed to off-screen romance, unless Gabriel and Rowena counts (Dean assures him it doesn't, but how would Jack have been exposed to Gabriel/Rowena anyway, since it happened while he was in AU Land and Gabriel didn't make it back?) Dean promises he'll give him The Talk when they get back, but right now they need to concentrate on finding Harper. {Sidebar fic prompt: Dean's and Sam's versions of The Talk. Would Dean's be like Dean's speech from Rock and a Hard Place?} Jack speculates she might not be human, and Dean says they're going to find out, and it's going to work like a romance novel. Hmm!

Cut to the library, where Harper is working. Dean enters and identifies himself as FBI, with questions about Winston. She doesn't want to talk, and he pushes. Then Jack shows up, asking for a book about the area's history, and defends her against the big mean FBI guy. Dean says "why don't you back off, kid" and Jack responds "No, you back off, old man" and DEAN'S FACE. This was clearly NOT IN THE SCRIPT. I love it. Dean slinks off, dejected, to examine his gracefully-aging face in the rear-view mirror. {Sidebar: I honestly think Jensen is aging a lot better than Dean is. Dean looks tired a lot of the time, and I'd like to believe Show is doing that on purpose, but I don't think it's the case. Jensen always looks awesome.} Harper is delighted, and apparently smitten, judging by the music. Jack introduces himself as "Jack Smith" and she invites him to her apartment, where she has the perfect book.

Why does this library have those convenience store perp measurements at the door? Does it get robbed a lot? Also, how many episodes have signs in the background with the title of a different episode? Not very many, I'm guessing.

As they leave, Miles the Stapler Guy follows and asks where she's going. It must be close to closing time, because Harper says she'll come back and lock up. Miles, who's carrying a bag of trash, refuses to shake Jack's hand. As Jack and Harper go one way, he stomps off in the other direction. I'm suspicious, and so is Dean, who gets out of the car to follow him. As Miles puts the library's trash in an inappropriately small residential bin, he hears a noise. We then cut to Dean, who hears Miles scream but just keeps walking? But then a trash can is knocked over and that gets his attention. He finds Miles dead, and we get a monster POV shot watching him.

Stakeout. Charlie's still reading. Apparently she brought all the books. She says she hates hunting, which surprises Sam, because she's so good at it. She points out that she's good at it because the alternative was death. "I mean, no offense, but who wants to be a hunter? This job, just a lot of tears and death."

Sam says "you said something like that to me once, long ago, about hunting." He quickly apologizes for once again conflating her with Our Charlie. At first I was annoyed at him, but then I started thinking about how awful Our Charlie's death was for him, with the MoC, and the fear, and the worry, and the guilt, and his brother saying he should be the one on the funeral pyre instead, and you know what? I'm gonna cut him some slack for trying to forget all of that ever happened. A lot of slack, in fact.

Charlie casually drops that she's glad this is her last hunt. Did you give the Chief your two week's notice, Charlie? I DON'T THINK SO. She plans to get away from monsters and people, and "live on a mountaintop or something... as long as there's good wifi." I'm sure Sam can get you set up with his magical wifi, Charlie, if you stay on his good side.

Harper's apartment. She seems to be all about love, with a decorative "amore" sign in the kitchen and a big red heart hanging on the wall. She suddenly realizes it's weird that she brought him to her apartment, though she's thinking "putting the moves on you" weird and I'm thinking "inviting a potential serial killer into your home" weird. But maybe I listen to too much My Favorite Murder.

She leaves the room to get the book (odd that it's not on the stuffed bookshelves in her living room, but they're all full of romance novels). Jack asks why the FBI was "hassling" her, and she tells him about Winston's death as he surreptitiously puts a silver coin on the floor and splashes holy water all over his hands. A call comes from Dean, but he ignores it. When she comes back with the book, she notices the coin on the floor and picks it up. She touches his hand when she gives him the coin and notices that it's wet. I would have put the holy water on the coin, although a wet coin on the floor might be as weird as wet hands. He just laughs weirdly and then does a fake cough AND SAYS CHRISTO. SOMEONE FINALLY REMEMBERED CHRISTO. Oh, my heart. I've been waiting 13 years for this moment. She doesn't react to it, so she seems pretty human. He says he's nervous, so she sits on the couch and pats the seat next to her.

Stakeout. Charlie has found something in the books called a Musca. Sam already knows it's a man-fly hybrid (IT'S THE FLY; OUR MONSTER IS JEFF GOLDBLUM) and that no one's seen them, so if they do exist, they keep to themselves. She's impressed with his Sammy smarts. He says he's read all the books, but if he'd read this one, he'd know that every few hundred years a male Musca can't find a mate and he "abandons his community and starts using people's bodies to nest, binding them together with a viscous goo." Ew.

As they walk, in the background we see a figure approaching the two women who are sitting on the bus stop bench. It's clothed in black, carrying a black briefcase, and it has a giant head. At first I think it's literally a giant fly's head. But when Charlie notices it, we get a closer look, and it's a large black hood, like a beekeeper's outfit. It sits down and then casually scoots closer to the women, who scoot away, and it's hilarious.

Harper's apartment. She asks Jack where he's from, and he tells her he lives in Lebanon, Kansas. NO, JACK. DON'T TELL ANYONE WHERE YOU LIVE. Jack coughs some more and then notices a picture of Harper with her boyfriend, Vance. She says he left town after high school because he wanted to see the world, and Jack seems astonished that anyone would leave her. And that was when her bad luck started, but she tries to stay optimistic. "Me too," Jack says. "I had some not-so-great stuff happen in my past. Trying to be positive... it can be hard." Oh, Jack, sweetie. They gaze into each other's eyes and it looks like they're going to kiss. Jack's phone buzzes with a text from Dean that says CALL ME NOW.

Jack? Do you believe in love at first sight?

Do you... (music swells)... mind if I use the bathroom?

Ha!

Jack hides in the bathroom to call Dean. He tells him Harper isn't a monster, and he thinks she's in love with him. Although Dean's sure that's not the case, Jack says "but if she is, I need to know everything about sex. Go." Ha again! Dean tells him about Miles's death, which makes Jack wonder if she's cursed. Dean says it's more like all the guys around her are cursed. "Like me," Jack ponders, just before we get another monster POV shot and a strangled shout from Dean. The phone goes dead.

Jack comes back into the living room and Harper asks if he's okay and if he wants to go for coffee. Then the door bursts open and Dean comes in, and I wonder why she's freaking out until I remember that Dean is Bad FBI Guy to her. He quickly blocks the door and tell her they're here to save her from... whatever it is that's suddenly growling and banging on her door. "At first I thought it was a ghost," he says, "but then it punched me in the face." She's freaked out about a ghost, but Jack reassuringly (NOT!) tells her that he's saying it's NOT a ghost. Dean recognizes a photo and it turns out the monster is her old boyfriend Vance, who she didn't even realize was dead.

For some reason Dean isn't carrying a lot of weapons, but he has a silver knife and finds a silver letter opener on Harper's desk. Silver will slow it down, he tells them, but there's only one way to kill the undead boyfriend. Vance breaks the door down before we learn what that is. Dean starts fighting with the silver knife and tells Jack to get Harper out of there.

Stakeout. It's nighttime now. A lone man sits at the bus stop as Sam tries to convince Charlie that she can't drop out of society. She needs people, and also, it's hard to walk away from being a hunter. "I tried. Our Charlie tried." You know, for someone who did want out of hunting, and did try to get out of it, Sam spends a lot of time convincing others to do it, or at least enabling them. I mean, Dean was all "Patience, if you can live a normal life, do it," and Sam was all "well, Claire, if you're gonna hunt, I guess I should show you how to hack." Although that (and teaching Ghoul!Adam to shoot) was more about protecting someone determined/forced to be a hunter than recruiting. So maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Anyway, if anyone recognized the futility of getting out of the life, it would be him.

Jeff Goldblum shows up again and sits by his next victim. Charlie wants to go for the kill, but Sam thinks they should wait for him to make his move, in case he's just into weird fashion. Look, Sam, if a guy likes wearing a black beekeeper's bonnet and sidling up to random strangers at bus stops, he deserves to be hunted, whether or not he's actually part bee. When the bus shows up, it blocks their view of the duo. When it leaves, the bench is empty. Which could mean they just got on the bus, but we see something disappearing behind the stop. Sam decides it's a go after all.

Let's stick with this story, rather than cutting back and forth between them like the show did.

Sam and Charlie find a door with a bunch of goo on the handle. Sam says Charlie found something in the books that theorized a brass nail dripped in sugar water would kill a musca. Because yes, of course sugar water, WHICH FLIES EAT, would kill a fly man. (Rolls my eyes at this otherwise delightful episode.) Charlie reminds him they have neither of those things. "So we get creative," Sam says. I'm expecting some kind of MacGuyvering involving a can of Coke, or Sam's sugary coffee. (Spoiler alert: I'm wrong.)

{Sidebar: Why are all the methods of killing monsters so weirdly specific? Chopping off the head should kill ANYTHING.}

They go through the door, which surprisingly leads them into an abandoned warehouse. It's full of flies (normal ones, not half-man flies) and smells like pine cleaner and rotting meat. Yum. Eventually Sam finds the briefcase, which is full of what looks like candy wrappers and also has a white cloth, which he sniffs to discover chloroform. Dude. Don't sniff the chloroform rag. Charlie finds the most recent victim, still alive, by a pile of bodies. Something grabs Charlie's hand. She pulls loose, but falls off a low platform (seriously, it's like two feet high) and... loses consciousness? Okay. Maybe he chloroformed her and I missed it. I'm old and decrepit and this would have barely bruised me. He must have chloroformed her.

Sam tries to wake her up, but is interrupted by the WORST MONSTER COSTUME EVER. Oh god, you guys, this fly man head is so bad. SO BAD.

{Sidebar: Did you know that you don't see much of the shark in Jaws because the model was so bad, Steven Spielberg decided he wanted to shoot it as little as possible? And it actually made the movie better because the unseen monster was so much scarier? Just saying, Speight.}

(Um, have you watched any movies that were made before 1980?)

Well, that was uncalled for.

Jeff Goldblum attacks Sam and gets goo on him, and if this were really a fly, wouldn't that goo be digesting him? Isn't that how flies eat? (Why yes, it is.) Charlie regains consciousness and stabs it with something, which gets it off Sam long enough for him to shoot it in the head. Creativity in action! So, I guess I got my wish. Interesting that, just like last week, the guys figured out that there are actions that will kill anything.

Aftermath! Charlie and Sam are driving, and Sam says he feels bad for the Musca, which could have been happy if it had stayed home with its people. Subtle, Sam. Charlie's all, yeah, okay, I'm like the bug, except not so much. As we see the Musca family coming to retrieve their brother's body, Sam asks Charlie not to leave. "If we help people, then maybe they'll help people, and all that, and that's worth it. Even with all the tears and death, it's worth it." Oh, Sammy. {sniff} She says she'll think about it.

Back to Jack and Harper. It was broad daylight when they got to her apartment, so I don't know why it's nighttime now. How long did he spend in the bathroom? No wonder she asked if he was okay. Cut to Dean gleefully fighting the zombie, who suddenly stops fighting and runs off.

Jack and Harper run to the library, where she struggles with the keys until Jack remembers she left without locking the door. They scurry inside and he locks it. As they hide behind the counter, they see Zombie Vance run by. Jack tells her not to worry, because he locked the door, and she asks if he flipped the switch under the lock? Obviously he didn't, and she goes to do it herself. As she stands, looking out the door, Vance shows up. She unlocks the door, which Jack obviously DID lock, and opens it. He hands her the history book - I guess Jack dropped it - and they kiss.

Um. whoops. Vance is actually still Harper's boyfriend. And he has to eat human flesh. Like, Jack's, for example. Vance lunges for Jack, who hides in the stacks as Harper gives him the villain dialogue over the library's PA system. She likes Jack, but he's obviously a hunter, and she comes from a long line of necromancers, so it would never work out between them. She killed Vance to keep him from leaving after high school, and killing every other guy in her sights is just a fun little romantic roleplay for them. We get a little scare when a hand appears on Jack's shoulder (been a lot of that going around lately), but it's Dean. He tells Jack they have to get Vance back into his grave and then drive a stake into his heart to keep him there. And they're going to convince him using another romance novel method.

Jack tells her he wants to do things Vance can't do - walk her down the aisle, raise a family. This draws Vance out, who lunges at him but finds himself facing Dean. Vance gets Dean against a wall, and Harper calls out to him. Dean thinks she's going to call him off, but she says "Baby, kill him!" and Dean's "huh" look is precious to me. Instead, Dean slaps a handcuff on his arm and cuffs him to a pole or something. Jack cuffs his other arm to a library cart, I think, which is mobile and therefore defeats the purpose of cuffing, but good try, Jack. The cuffs burn Vance, so they're silver or enchanted or something. Seems like a successful hunt, but when the guys look up, the door is open and Harper is gone.

Later we see Harper and her suitcase at a cafe, writing a letter to Jack. So she had time to go home and pack a suitcase, and Dean and Jack didn't go to her apartment and look for her? Guys. Come on. She's sorry she's going to have to kill Jack, but it means she can bring him back to life and they'll be together forever. See you soon, she writes, sealing the envelope addressed to Jack Smith, c/o the Lebanon, Kansas post office. I TOLD YOU NOT TO LET HER KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE, JACK. Is Harper going to be a Big Bad this season? Or maybe a Little Bad? I wouldn't mind seeing her again. She's a charming little villain.

Finally, Jack's drinking coffee again, probably with a lot of sugar, in the bunker. This scene, with them facing each other, is a nice callback to the beginning of the episode. Dean tells Jack he did good, and Jack pushes for more hunts, because he was right. It's not about being right, Dean tells him, it's about what you do after you're wrong, after you've made a mistake. And about not beating yourself up, Jack points out. Dean tells him he's pretty smart, and Jack smiles and coughs and Dean promises to talk about getting him on more hunts when Sam gets back (BECAUSE SAM IS THE ONE TO ASK, YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT) and Jack lies about being fine and then coughs some more and shows Dean his bloody palm and collapses on the floor with blood oozing from his mouth and nose and WELL. THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY.

And the episode ends, without Sam and Dean sharing a single scene. Has that happened before? It's unsettling. I like the ep, though. I liked the relationship focus - Sam bonding with New Charlie, Dean bonding with Jack. I liked the humor. I liked that Sam wasn't ignored, even though the brothers had separate storylines. I liked the continuation of things that have been happening this season, the gentle reminder (but not constant siren) of Dean's guilty feelings and Sam's leadership and Jack's issues. And, of course, CHRISTO!

And there was one weird thing I noticed on first watch, but it didn't jump out at me on rewatch so I don't remember when it happened... Dean said "Son of a B." This is the second episode where they said something weird instead of bitch. What's going on there? Is Dean never going to say "son of a bitch" again? Because that's not good.

What did you guys think? And please help me stay unspoiled; thanks!

#spn #14.06 #tv recaps #recap #spoilers

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