#the fact it got canceled so quick is my villain origin story

[fluent-in-lesbianism]

I have been obsessing over Yellowjackets and the brilliant cast and watching their previous projects and I know you don't like zombie series but I think you should really give Santa Clarita Diet a chance. It's one Liv Hewson (Van) previous projects and it's just brilliant. I think you might really love it

I don't like the scary zombies that chase after people. The stress of 'will they get 'em, will they get away' is too much for me.

But Drew Barrymore tryna juggle motherhood, her realty business, and being a new zombie craving human flesh was like, suuuuper entertaining. I loved it. Can't recommend that show enough.

#Anonymous #it should've gotten at least five seasons #the fact it got canceled so quick is my villain origin story

[sladewilsonisanantihero]

The Original Intent of Terra and how Deathstroke got the bad end of the stick for it

Okay, Deathstroke Children (Idk what to call you guys because fellow Deathstrokers would end this conversation immediately), I found the time to do this, so let's get to it!

(Note: My original laptop broke with my comics, so I have no images to spare, so it will be sourced. Another note: Many words will be in bold. Partly so that for those reading will not lose track.)

But if tl;dr:

Cold Hard Truth: Everyone from Terra fans to Deathstroke fans needs to stop seeing these characters as real people.

Original Terra wasn't human trafficked or whatever sob story people want to label her with. The CREATORS intended her to be written as Evil without the mental illness and to die for the shock value. They had Raven, The Literal Empath, spell this out in Judas Contract. As for Deathstroke's involvement, he was shoved into her creation story, and Marv Wolfman himself recognized his mistake in doing that.

And for those calling Deathstroke a nazi, Original Terra had nazi-like beliefs where common people should fear and serve them or be killed off just because they're 'special'. Again, BLUNTLY stated in the Judas Contract. So if you're going to call Deathstroke a Pedophile, we'll call OG Terra a Neo-Nazi. (But I highly advice for Deathstroke Fans to not start that kind of war, but I had to say what I had to say.)

Don't get me wrong. (Hopefully all) Deathstroke fans know that their relationship was wrong just like Marv Wolfman, and we do not support pedophiles! But Slade isn't a pedophile! He was never intended to be written as one! It was a mistake made on many levels and should be rewritten like OG Terra's Evil Neo-Nazi-like personality, instead of being thrown into cancel culture.

Also for Deathstroke fans, don't get upset over their content and begin any argument emotionally. Just enjoy whatever good content we can get and support it if you can. Hopefully we'll get our Deathstroke movies and so on!

So I've briefly chatted with one of you over the matter with Terra/Tara Markov and how upsetting it is about how people refer to Slade Wilson as a Pedophile. That is a serious accusation that would make it very uncomfortable to argue about since it can easily make it seem like we justify the actions of pedophiles, and that we are part of pedophile culture that does exist in social media space.

AND WE SHOULDN'T, AND FOR ANTIS READING THIS WE WON'T.

But there was a time when I used to have a blog called friendlyremindersofsladewilson, where I defended Slade and put the blame all on Terra. I was 14 at the time, and looking back at it, I am not proud of it because I realized now as an adult how I defended it for most of the wrong reasons, but still stand with the fact that SLADE IS NOT A PEDOPHILE.

And since this took place when I was so young, it compelled me to write this post because I fear some of you are really young, too, and may end up in this regretful position.

So to make it clear, what Slade had been written to do is a crime, and we should acknowledge it, but not in the way as if it was a crime acted out in real life.

What I mean by that is that there's a clear separation between fiction and reality where one isn't real (Duh!). In this case, it's about the mistakes made between fiction and reality. In reality, mistakes made by the person responsible is on the person. In fiction, mistakes made is dependent on the creator's intent, and sometimes the creators can make mistakes themselves.

Most notably Terra's:

Tara Markov/Terra was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez.

In Marv Wolfman's literal website, he stated in his online "What the-?" column:

"Which leads to Terra. That was easy. George and I wanted a Titan who betrayed the others. we also wanted to play against every reader conception of who characters are. George and I knew her whole story before we began and we knew she would die. We set the story up with her trying to destroy the Statue of Liberty to show she was the bad girl, but we knew if George drew her as a cute kid everyone would simply assume she would be ‘turned’ from the dark side because that’s the way it was always done which is why that wouldn’t be the way we did it. Tara was insane an stayed that way right until the moment she died. By the way, she IS dead. I don’t know what other writers will do with her – if anything – but if they want to honor the original series they will leave her dead. The Terra from Team Titans was – as stated – some kid the villain kidnapped and physically and mentally altered her into looking and acting like the original. But she was NEVER the real Terra."

And it should also be noted that he stated before this statement that:

"...Only mistake I think I made with him is having him have a physical relationship with the 16 year old Tara Markov. That was wrong."

So Marv Wolfman himself recognizes that what he did was a mistake, but his intent on Terra was never to write a victim.

And quick note: Insanity isn't written as a mental illness here. It's written like how many villains are labeled as insane for having skewed beliefs that deviates from the common good.

Terra truly had some nazi-like beliefs where she BELIEVED that everyone who wasn't 'special' like her and the Teen Titans deserved to be treated like shit because they weren't 'special' like them. She bluntly said it herself in the Judas Contract.

As for George Perez's comment in an interview I found in this website:

"GEORGE: Tara was just a cute little girl, although I based a little bit of that on my wife Carol’s sister, Barbara. A little upturned nose… Barbara does not have the teeth that Tara had. I wanted Tara to be a girl who looked normal. Which also means her death caught everyone even more offguard.

Tara, she was made to be killed; she served her purpose. That was it.

ANDY: You didn ‘t get any attachment to Tara?

GEORGE: No, because I knew we were going to kill her. So I deliberately used all the things to make her as likeable and cute as possible, so people would never believe we were going to kill a sixteen-year-old. And she was a sixteen-year-old sociopath. She was one of our cleverest gimmicks; we deliberately created her in order to lead everyone astray. So we couldn’t build any fondness for her, ’cause we knew full well what her whole motive for existence was. Her existence was basically to keep the stories interesting; we were tossing a curve that no one would have expected.

ANDY: You didn ‘t even love to hate her, huh?

GEORGE: No. I loved handling her, because she was such a good idea. But she was an idea. Not as much a person. She was there to show exactly how much their humanity can be one thing they have to be careful about, the Teen Titans have to be careful about. . . they can be too trusting, or their own weaknesses can be used against them."

Terra was supposed to be a representation of An Evil Betrayal of Trust and That Not All Cute Girls Are Good.

But they took it too far by making her sleep with Deathstroke because they wanted to truly make her look evil by literally sleeping with the enemy. Y'know because this was the 80s, and women having sex was an evil act back then, and that point of view has somewhat or barely improved 40 years later.

Deathstroke was just shoved into this idea, and Marv tried and perhaps failed at trying to undo this mistake with his talk with Beastboy (Tales of the Teen Titans issue #55) and before his confrontation from Wintergreen (Deathstroke (1991); Chapter 35).

So just as I had stated at the top in the tl;dr, it was a mistake made on many levels and should have been rewritten out just as many had done with OG Terra's true personality, and be done with it.

Random person: "He still slept with a 16-year-old."

And it's not that hard to make other heroes and villains do this mistake. Because again, it's all fiction. Deathstroke's fictional. As in Not Real, so we could literally undo the damage by rewriting this mistake. Or make it worse by making Terra the rapist by her using her Earth powers to bind Slade down and force him, and you can't deny that it's plausible. Because she's fictional. Anything can happen. So why didn't Slade tell Beastboy whether he slept with her or not, maybe it was because he really didn't want to but he was forced into it. And that's just something you can't dump on a very emotional man who was trying to kill you a moment ago.

ALL THE POSSIBILITIES BECAUSE IT'S FICITIONAL!

But ANYWAY, I went way too dark there.

Ending on a brighter note: Personally to all Deathstroke fans, please value your mental health, please don't start any arguments that'll compromise it, and continue supporting Deathstroke in whatever way you can!

#Deathstroke #Slade Wilson

[ilikekidsshows]

One thing that pisses me off not just about the miraculous fandom but modern fandoms is fans inability to consume long overarching stories.

Like so many people are complaining about how long the reveal is taking or why haven't certain characters outgrown this trait yet or why is this character arc botched or abandoned. Like guys we just got the confirmation this show will be 7 seasons long PLUS like 3 tv specials. We're only roughly halfway through the series.

Once the reveal happens half the tension in the show is gone! I'm not saying leave the reveal till season 7 and make us wait 9 years this isn't HIMYM but miraculous is not a fast paced story. It's a long haul story. I just wish more fans would be patient. Miraculous is in the extremely fortunate and rare position that it will have a conclusive end and not be suddenly cancelled. That was and still is a huge problem for shows and cartoons with dedicated fans but networks pull the plug for stupid ass reasons.

So miraculous fans please chill the fuck out on things not resolving right away. We still have 78+ episodes plus the tv specials. If we get the end to certain things now it'll be so boring.

I think the concept of Instant Gratification describes the issue with many modern fandoms today. I hate to sound like I'm anti-technology, but the constant stream of quick and short bursts of entertainment allowed by the information age has made people more impatient. It's not about waiting for the climax to get a deeper sense of satisfaction, it's about getting that instant gratification right this instant. It's why one-shot fanfics are all over the place, when multi-chapter stories used to be just as common and popular, if not even more so, and it’s also why people are less willing to read a fic that’s still a work in progress. It's why people refuse to watch Youtube video essays even as they leave comments on the topic based on the title and thumbnail alone because, while they couldn't be assed to watch a 20-minute video (let alone an hour long one), they sure can spend that time calling the Youtuber names and making arguments the video actually already refutes. It's why a lot of online arguments happen only because one party read nothing but the first and maybe the last paragraph of someone's post and skipped all the explanation for their point of view (if I've ignored an counter argument for one of my posts, it was either because I missed it or because said counter argument did this. I have attention deficit issues so I do genuinely forget responses sometimes, but I'm also not writing a second essay for someone who's proven to me they won't read it).

Of course, it's only by constantly consuming only fast-paced content that you can become this impatient. People have different ideas about stories based on what stories they have encountered in the past.

Another thing that influences the Miraculous fandom in particular is that, while I love to show off exactly how much Miraculous has done to build up the overarching plotlines, Miraculous isn't really a show that's about a single story. It's easy to understand why people think it is one though: there's one main villain, we keep discovering more about the mythology, one of the main plot threads is the romantic relationship between the leads and singular episodes and plot elements tend to get payoff later. What is the purpose of a show if not to progress the story? Because the heroes aren't getting closer to defeating Gabriel or getting together, people think that the story isn't accomplishing anything.

I'll do a comparison to illustrate why these things aren't as clear-cut signs of a continuous storyline as people think. In the Spider-Man comics, you can pick any issue up and the chances are that the villain will be a part of Spider-Man's already established Rogues Gallery, who's back for more after who knows how many defeats, and those past defeats might even get referenced in callbacks to previous issues. It's also very possible that Peter and Mary Jane's relationship is the central focus with them not being together yet, having relationship problems or even having broken up (in really old issues the girl might be Gwen Stacy and short-term options have also always been available for romantic entanglements). Does this mean Spider-Man is a continuous story where the only point is that all the villains get put away for good and Peter and MJ live happily ever after? No, it doesn't. Spider-Man is designed to go on indefinitely, so there's no clear ending point. So, what is the point of Spider-Man then, if there is no Ending?

It used to be the single issue, because comic books used to have every issue be a stand-alone story about the hero and their supportive cast. These days it's more every three-to-six issues, because superhero comics are written to have short story arcs that can then be collected into trade paperbacks. A superhero series is not a single story; it's a series that functions as a story engine, meaning the series can generate several shorter stories where the hero helps fix a problem or solve a mystery.

In the superhero genre a villain will never get killed off or removed from stories permanently as long as the writers think they can still come up with stories to tell about them. The hero's romantic life will never be completely smooth sailing unless the writer is using other things to ramp up the stakes. Everything always allows for there to be another adventure.

I think the huge success of Avatar: the Last Airbender made people think that a series that is a single story is always superior to a series with multiple shorter plots. When I was liveblogging Sailor Moon, a viewer offered to give me a list of all the non-filler episodes because they genuinely thought I'd feel like I was wasting time on the show otherwise. This attitude is simply not based on fact. It's not fair to compare Miraculous Ladybug to Avatar, because they're both setting up to do completely different things. Miraculous Ladybug is trying to become a brand, like Batman or Spider-Man. It is part of the "Zag Heroes" lineup, a series of French-created superhero franchises to compete in the America-centric superhero market. This challenge is good for the genre, because Marvel and DC have started resembling each other more and more as these companies stew in their old ideas and copy everything that worked for the other one. The superhero genre needs new blood.

Also, Avatar: the Last Airbender first became popular by doing episodic plots for almost the entirety of the first season because it's actually not a wise choice to expect the audience to be willing to commit to a story that'll only give payoff later when working with an untested IP. Very often shows with longer story arcs start with the episodic format to hook people first, and sometimes the more linear plot is introduced specifically because the audience for the show is now expected to be both dedicated enough and older and capable of keeping up. Because, here's the thing: you can't expect little kids to remember every episode or even every character you've introduced in your show. I'm not sure if people are ready to hear that but I'm throwing it out there anyway. Kids are not dumb, they can understand more complex storylines, but many kids are still training their memory, so they might not remember the details of complex storylines that go on for too long.

This is why the news that Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season was going to have a recommended viewing order originally had me concerned. Miraculous is being branded for kids. The plot requiring too much skill in memorizing story details will make it less accessible to kids and might put those two additional seasons at risk. However, it seems that the "constantly changing status quo" concept of Truth, Lies and Gang of Secrets was a fluke and the evolution of the show is more subtle, so they might not be cutting the amount of episodes for those final seasons because the show is getting too complicated for kids to follow all the important details.

Regardless, Miraculous Ladybug being an adventure cartoon TV show instead of a comic book or a more cheaper-to-produce TV drama does mean that Miraculous Ladybug isn’t expected to go on for decades like a superhero comic or a soap opera. Because of this, it can have evolution and changes and even a planned ending. The show is expected to end at some point, even by the people making money off of it, mostly because making a cartoon like this indefinitely costs a lot of money, and kids’ adventure shows tend to see a decrease in returns if they go on for too long.

#media and fandom response #ml fandom salt #miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir

[foriland]

For the fic title thing, 1 and 9 for chains? Love that fic btw :)

Oh my goodness... Chains. That was one wild and insane XDDDDD I feel like I had far too much fun writing it. It probably is among my top 5 favourite of my fics.

1. What inspired you to write the fic this way?

Uhhhhhh........ On one angle, I will say it goes back to the core idea I had. So, earlier this year, I was studying during my three months writing break. Writing Brains (for some absurd reason or other) had this 'brilliant' idea, which was the physical position that Jason was stuck in, as in the specific way he was bound in the earlier parts of the fic. And I was immediately interested because that would be uncomfortable and could hurt a lot.

If were talking about the fact that it was an insane stabby-stabby thing, I will say that it is due to my study-tired, stressed-thus-violent state of mind. I pretty much wrote Chains without much planning (I feel like I only plan any scene that I was then writing and even then it was more of a 'what fancy thing will I do to Jason next' kind of planning). And so that adds to it. Honestly, then, any sense of plot and backstory was merely an attempt to make the situation possible. I fleshed it out a bit as I edited (and add more scenes :P) to turn it into a more coherent story afterwards. And really, my reading choices and writing ideas can get pretty cruel when my mind either is tired or bored or stressed (even worse when it is all of those), makes Writing Brains go places. I was also partly experimenting with a few ways to torture that I had never played with before.

9. Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Yes!!! :D Kinda. There is this one which was the original ending that I posted a bit ago. I wrote that during the very first draft. I like the ending, especially with the Dick-Jason interaction and uh... well, pain. But I wasn't wholly satisfied with this, I found it a bit skippy-ly quick paced and 'aloof', so to speak. And maybe I disagreed with the fact that it is fluff-ish but we'll ignore that. And it became a bit unfitting when I started to edit the fic more because I kept on extending that whole bit in the first chapter when he last woke up (he was not supposed to get drowned again but welp! guess that happened). The extension meant more pain and injuries, thus a worse condition, which I felt would be a bit 'unrealistic' for the original ending (Not that any of my fic, Chains included, is wholly realistic. I mean.........).

So. After I finished my first collection of exams some months back and got back to FINALLY properly editing (which I had missed doing), I tried to shovel up a different ending. And as I was mentioning my predicament on a Discord server, @geminibabyhere threw some good ideas my way, which, while not fully applicable to the fic as she didn't really know what I was writing (I think I just mentioned that Jason was in a really really bad condition and that I want Dick to be in the scene and feeling guilty), did summoned some good thoughts and potential ideas in my head. (Love you lots, Gem! You are amazing!)

So! I sadly didn't keep them, but some of the alternate bits were:

There was supposed to be a cool gun-crowbar-escrima sticks moment between Dick and some of the villains. Like the scene started as the chapter 2 did, and then someone was going to shoot Bruce (who was doing some Batman-threatening-or-something) and Dick did this epic thing of turning and fighting while also battling this other guy with a crowbar. It was a very rough draft and vague idea and didn't work out so I scrapped it.

I killed Jason. It was supposed to be sad. But it was a little thing that I did for fun and to get Writing Brains to work. And it was a lot dramatic.

I was going to have Damian or Bruce in as well, since they were among the indirect catalyst that had caused Jason to end up where he was (No. It wasn't their fault. Stupid things like that happens). But a) it was already nearing Ramadhan by the time I posted the first chapter so I didn't want it to be too long so that I could get the second chapter out before the month started (which I didn't get to in the end anyway), especially since I was also working on my Dark Week works then; b) I was more interested in playing with Jason's head and pain, and I couldn't squeeze Dami or Bruce with what I had.

They were rough, vague things so I cancelled them and went with what I did instead. Which........ was..... I did not expect that it would be that kind of a fancy mess of emotions. I went Dick and Tim angst for a long moment. But I think the ending was neat in the end. (But I love that original ending I had, which was why I kept it.)

-

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much, my dear! It went a bit longer that I thought, but I hope I answered your questions ^^ Thank you for the ask and for reading my stuff XD Have a lovely day!! <3 <3

#ask thingy #I ramble #I like rambling/talking about my writing #If there is anything else anyone wants to know just send something my way #Like....... it is cool that people want to know more about my fics #and neat. #And I like rambling about them #:) #Thank you! #fanfiction

[luxfurem]

@treppenwitzz​​ asked: i need all the deets about your bellatrix... ALSO ANJI i wanna know more about anji | MEME.

So... this ended up really long and therefore it’s under the cut! I sort of left out the “who they could get along with” part but I also feel like that really just depends on verses and such, so we can totally discuss that sometime  🥺🥺🥺

Bellatrix Lestrange

TW for mentions of alcohol, abuse, death and miscarriage

TROPES/ARCHETYPES: The Champion, Femme Fatale

Bellatrix is the very first muse that I officially wrote on indie, but also a muse that I’ve explored in the many group rps I’ve been in in the years before that. Because of that, she’s been through a lot of changing and tweaking over the years, but I like what I’ve got going for her now.

I’m absolutely a big fan of villain characters and I support the humanizing of them because in my mind, it is all the more terrifying that a villain could like the same things as you, could be like you, but be capable of such terrible things. I think it creates a frightening perspective that’s the quiet sort of terrifying, and it’s what I aim to do with Bella. I wanted to create a villainous woman who is powerful without being sorry for it.

I do want to stress that a villain doesn’t necessarily become worthy or deserving of pity or redemption because their story contains sad aspects. In the end, everyone encounters terrible and sad things in life, and it’s what you do with these experiences that matters. If you become bitter or vengeful, that is a decision, and the consequences of however you decide to treat the world after are not cancelled out because of the reason why you became this way.

On the one hand, she is this terrifyingly powerful witch who, despite her comparatively young age, climbed up the ranks of the death eaters to the position of lieutenant at Voldemort’s side, but on the other she is someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s wife. I wanted to explore how these two aspects of her story intertwine, or, in some cases, clash.

My Bella is a bit canon-divergent in that I absolutely refuse to write a woman who’s completely submissive to a man, especially one that doesn’t deserve it. Of course, I don’t want to stray too far from her original arc in that I still believe she’s absolutely starstruck by Voldemort, but she is more interested in his abilities, his mind and his cunning than she is in him as a partner. It’s a different kind of infatuation, where she isn’t all too sure if she wants him or wants to BE him. In time, she settles with neither, and becomes his champion, instead. She’s a knight under his banner, a soldier under his command.

Much of Bella’s arc comes down to a dominant woman living in a society that doesn’t like dominant women. Pureblood circles are catered to the pureblood man, whereas the woman’s job, much like in societies of previous eras, is to bear a husband's children to continue the pureblood line. It’s a crude and sexist thing, and Bella wants none of it. From a young age, she rebels against her father’s firm beliefs in the way things are supposed to be, and rebels against her mother’s attempts to “guide” her back to how she’s supposed to be. She’s the feral child with the holes in her dresses, the scrapes on her legs from climbing trees and running too fast. Her long hair always tangled and messy. She knows that as a girl in the Black family, the highest achievement would have been to become matriarch, but even that wasn’t ever going to be enough for Bella.

When her mother dies, about two years after the birth of Narcissa, the matriarch of the Black family, Walburga, takes over the role for a short amount of time while her father drinks his grief away. After Sirius is born, however, even this steadiness falls away, as their aunt spends her full time caring for him and the second son, Regulus, born a year after. This leaves Bella to assume responsibility for her sisters at the age of 8. Her fights with her father, their temperaments going head to head resulting in situations I don’t really care to divulge about.

Once accepted into Hogwarts is where things start to divert. From one day to the next, her previously always messy hair is neatly combed back into a braid. Her clothes are pristine, not a spot in sight, and her sharp commentary is kept to a minimum. To all those around her, it seemed she had finally heeded her mother’s wishes, and embraced her place in society. But to those who knew her well enough, to her sisters and to her cousins, there was a stubborn fire burning behind those crow-black eyes, burning higher and brighter the more time passed. It was only a matter of time until the fire either consumed her, or consumed those around her.

It was at the age of 17, during her last year at Hogwarts, that Bellatrix was introduced to the Dark Lord. She’d seen him before, of course, but the Black family had stoically kept their stance on the matter of his campaign neutral, although this wouldn’t last. Her fiance-to-be, Rodolphus, who was a few years her senior, had already joined the ranks, and Voldemort’s actions could no longer be brushed off as a mere whim by the family. And Bella, who desired more than the life of a housewife, saw this as an opportunity to lift herself up.

I want to stress that I, as both a Tom Riddle and Bellatrix writer, don’t think their dynamic was of a romantic or lustful nature at all at this point in time, if ever. Voldemort saw the fire and the potential, and decided that he wanted both of these things for himself, for his ranks. She exceeded expectations and he decided that, if anyone was worthy to be his student, it was her. Over the course of the next two years, he trained her in the dark arts, eventually revealing her, at the age of nineteen, to be his new lieutenant. This was met with some resistance, of course. but Bella was quick to silence that. After all, she had risen above her station, and it had taken effort. She was not about to lose that to a bunch of butthurt men.

It’s also around this time that she marries Rodolphus, whom she puts through the ringer for months before and even post-marriage. She hated the idea of being passed from one man (her father) to another (her husband), as if she is nothing more than a possession. The marriage was arranged, and this bothered her, too, considering her lack of choice in the matter. And because she couldn’t exactly fight her father on it, she fought Rodolphus instead. On every turn, hoping he would be turned off and cancel it. After all, a man’s voice, even if he was only an heir, and not patriarch, still sounded louder than a woman’s voice ever would. But it only seemed to invigorate him, pulling closer the more she pushed. As if he were attracted to the fire, wanted to scorch himself just to stand in the light. He never forced her and he never would, even as she refused to let him into their marriage bed for months, even as she taunted him and ridiculed him. The marriage, in time, seemed to grant her a certain freedom that she never had as a daughter of house Black. She could go where she pleased, do as she pleased, pursue her position among the death eaters as she wanted to. She lost her wariness towards him, her anger. And eventually, she learned to love him.

Bellatrix used to be closest to her sister Andromeda. The two of them were, for a long time, practically inseparable, two halves of a whole. It was as if they should have been twins, and what one lacked, the other would possess. Where one went, you could soon expect the other to be. That was, of course, until Andromeda defected. When she did, Bella’s whole world collapsed. Her castle was captured from the inside, by sadness, by grief and by anger at the deceit. Because Andromeda hadn’t chosen her. Had chosen a “filthy mudblood” instead of her own sister, who had always cared for her, always been there for her. If Bella had had a mean streak, before, it was now full blown, a riptide that would destroy everything and everyone that didn’t get out of her way. She was devastated by the loss, and would never quite recover from it. This event had a huge impact on her view on muggleborns. Whereas before she allowed herself a certain tolerance, where she still viewed herself as holier than but limited her disdain to snooty looks and haughty comments, she now was actively hostile, threatening and garnering a reputation among the ranks of the death eaters for her ruthless, cruel actions.

During her marriage, Bella was pregnant exactly 4 times, but all 4 pregnancies ended up miscarriages fairly early on. It’s my belief that her problems stem from the inbreeding within the family and the English pureblood society in general. Contrary to her other beliefs on the woman in pureblood society, she was interested in being a mother and had the motherly instinct to go with it. Her not being capable of bearing children left her feeling devastated and hardened her heart. In AUs where she does have children, whether of her own or adopted, she develops a sort of caution, a knowledge that she isn’t just responsible for herself, but for this child as well. In these AUs, it keeps her out of Azkaban.

Speaking of Azkaban, I usually don’t write about her time there or really post-Azkaban, and this is mostly because I hate the narrative that she’s “crazy”, and I think it’s harmful towards people who have mental health problems. I believe, due to how Azkaban’s dementors suck the happiness out of people and how Azkaban looks like hell on earth, she suffers from a form of PTSD, but she is not “crazy”.

A few loose facts about her:

is bisexual but leans towards men

loves to write poetry, but she never shows it to anyone.

has a very low tolerance for alcohol and barely drinks.

loves coffee and can’t function without drinking it every morning

is obsessed with taking care of her hair. It’s long and dark and very well-maintained

loves to wear red lipstick

forced herself to learn to use her wand with both her left and her right hand

Anji Terryll

TROPES/ARCHETYPES: The Antihero, The Living Legend, The Reluctant Hero

Anji is actually one of my older muses, who doesn’t see the light of day often because I suppose the Skyrim fandom is sort of dead. On top of that, she’s a female oc. i don’t think i’ll need to explain this. Regardless of that and the lack of information I’ve put online about her ( which I actually seek to remedy by writing this ), she’s a quiet favorite who will never disappear from my roster.

I wanted to create a person who fate had been thrusted upon unwillingly. I wanted to create a woman who had never planned to do anything that didn’t benefit herself in life. Anji’s early life consisted of what was barely a life at the orphanage in Riften, where she watched the Thieves Guild lift jewelry from a man’s pocket with the man none the wiser. She never entertained the idea of being an honest worker, because she’d seen how the jarl treated honest workers. Of course, she knew that if she were to be caught thieving, the storm she’d call over herself would be worse, but that was only if she was going to be caught.

So she got herself into the Thieves’ Guild, worked her way up the ranks to Guild Master, before, near the border, she was caught stealing a horse and shipped off to Helgen, where the main story begins.

Anji is, from the start, reluctant about her supposed fate. She never believed in prophecies and rarely in Gods and now, everything was real, everything was true. And she was the main character of a legend. Thrust into a role she doesn’t think fit her. She isn’t who these people deserve, a thieving woman who serves only her own benefit. The people deserved a selfless knight, advocating for the survival of mankind, believing so wholly in oneself that they could overcome a legendary monster like Alduin the World-Eater. Someone who isn’t her. So she rejects her abilities, rejects her destiny, and pretends for months that she isn’t the one the Greybeards are calling from the Throat of the World.

And for a time, it works. For a time she can focus on the physical gain, the money she earns, the reputation. But in the back of her mind, the knowledge scratches at the door she keeps it behind. She sees the destruction the dragons are causing all over Skyrim, the terror of the people. The loss of morale. She tells herself that she decides to see what these Greybeards have to say, if only to tell them they’ll need to find someone else.

But she comes to learn that there is no one else. There is only her and her bow, and her lack of morale, against an ancient dragon.

Anji is the Reluctant Hero, the Unlikely Hero, not the woman you’d expect when one mentions the Dovahkiin. She’s slight and flighty, quick as a whip with her twin blades, relying on speed above strength. She prefers sneaking through the shadows instead of fighting her way through boldly and openly, and she never starts fights she can’t win. This doesn’t mean she won’t kill, and doesn’t mean she won’t use her powers, even for personal gain. She enjoys the power of the Voice and, as lore suggests, overtime grows more and more powerful (think: her voice can at some point burn the ice off a mountain), but she hates the responsibility that comes with it and will never fully accept it. She’s practical and quick-witted, more on the serious side of the spectrum, although she possesses a funny streak that only shows up in intimate settings ( think: close friends/guild/lovers ) or when she’s completely drunk. She observes each angle of a job or mission before proceeding, wanting to be ahead of each trap she might run into.

A few loose facts about her:

is bisexual but leans towards women

has absolutely no interest in bearing children, adopting is fine though

favors her bow over her twin blades

carries two daggers in each boot

In some verses she can be a werewolf for absolutely no other reason other than that i can

in modern verses she owns a martial arts school

Play smart not hard

#*✧･ﾟ OUT OF CHARACTER. #*✧･ﾟBELLATRIX LESTRANGE. #*✧･ﾟ ANJI TERRYLL. #treppenwitzz

[aerajecng]

[ AERA JEONG. 28. CISFEMALE. SHE/HER] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 1 WEEK ] and are originally from [ BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA ]. They are a [ FILM DIRECTOR ] and in their downtime love [ WRITING ] and [ PLAYING TENNIS ]. They look a lot like [ SEO YE-JI ] and live [ ON SILVERWOOD TERRACE ].

hi everyone!! my name is nora and i bring to you my new muse but also my most chaotic muse up to date bless up

Name: Aera Jeong Nickname(s): she just goes by aera bc she doesn’t have friends to nickname her, sometimes people call her bitch Age: 28 Birthday: July 29th, 1992 Zodiac: Leo ☀ Aries ☾ Capricorn ↑  Birthplace/Hometown: Seoul, South Korea & Beverly Hills, California Current Location: Silver Lake, California  Orientation: Demiromantic Hair Color: Dark Brown Eye Color: Dark Brown Height: 5′7″ Positive Traits: Adroit, Confident, Quick-witted, Observant Negative Traits: Callous, Erratic, Selfish, Deceitful

TWs: ABUSE, MURDER/SUICIDE, CHILD SELLING/CHILD SLAVERY

BACKGROUND

Aera was born to a famous South Korean violinist & composer in South Korea on July 29th, 1992. When she was 2 years old her father got a few great offers from Hollywood and so they moved to Beverly Hills where he could expand on his composing work

Aera’s early life was very normal, however soon enough her father got sucked into the dark life of Hollywood where he associated with the worst kind of people

People involved in high secret societies that promised him a better life

Her father ended up getting involved with people who held a lot of power and he got sucked in and wasn’t able to get out. 

He saw some messed up shit and it ultimately changed him as a person, or as Aera likes to say ‘he just showed his true colors’

Aera’s mother wasn’t any better either, Aera was always more wary of her mother and was more of a daddy’s girl than anything

Eventually, her father came in contact with a well known director in Hollywood who saw something in Aera that was different

From her youth, Aera’s perspective on life was a bit twisted and she started off writing stories when she was as young as 6 years old. Her stories were disturbing from the result of her family environment at home which went from normal to eerie after her father got involved with the higher society

This Hollywood director offered Aera’s parents a large sum of money to adopt her into their family in order to use her stories in his movies. At first her father refused until his career and livelihood was threatened

Aera’s mother was never against it, in fact, she talked her father into selling her daughter for money which is exactly what happened

At the age of 7, Aera was sold off and her new “father” used her ideas in his movies which helped him gain popularity for his unusual spins in his films

As Aera got older, she understood how her new “father” was using her, and when she was 18 years old she demanded that she get money from his movies in which he rejected her offer since he already gives her money to live with

Unhappy with that, Aera went behind his back and began directing her own movies under a different name which were getting noticed but not as much as her father since he was the “original” creator of such movies. Until Aera began giving him ideas that she knew would be bad and caused him to take a huge hit in profit from his films

Aera’s ideas only got better and her “father”’s fans began preferring her work over his. Her father then found out that she was directing her own movies in which case he locked her away in her room and she wasn’t allowed to leave for 3 years, only used to feed him ideas and if they didn’t succeed, she would receive physical abuse as punishment. 

After a few years of planning in her room, Aera planned an attack on her father only with the intention to get away but resulted in the accidental murder of her “father” which she was able to set it up as a suicide.

Aera inherited her father’s wealth and continued to live in the same house that her “father” passed in. She used her own name to direct films and people believed that she was following in her “father”’s footsteps. She didn’t care to correct it. She didn’t care about the rumors, as long as her work was being consumed. 

CURRENT LIFE

Aera isn’t the kindest person and her publicist was able to keep that under wraps. In fact, the people who knew her described her as one of the kindest people they had met which was a lie

She knew how to fool people into thinking she was nice unless she was having a bad day which is when she wouldn’t care to mask how she felt

A video was posted on the internet of her insulting someone for asking for a photograph which resulted in her getting cancelled and people boycotting her movies. It completely destroyed her career and she decided to move to a different town where people would most likely not know who she was which is what she had hoped

Aera is currently not directing any new films, having quit however her manager is still begging her to continue with her work but she doesn’t think the people deserve it

Instead she’s living off of the money she made on her movies and the money she inherited from her “father”. 

She keeps in touch with her biological parents but the relationship is horrible

She spends her time playing tennis or writing stories with no intention to publish them

She wants to spend the rest of her life enjoying the pleasures of life, after all, she has enough money to never work a day in her life again

PERSONALITY 

Aera can come off as a complete sweetheart if she wants to but her true personality is a nightmare. She doesn’t care to have friends or make connections with people since she’s lived most of her life alone. Her only friends are her manager and publicist

She has a habit for observing people

She also has a very twisted view on life

She believes heroes in films are villains and she thinks anyone who believes otherwise is an ignorant fool

this is my nightmare child and i’m down to get some plots in!! shes only been in silver lake for a week but i’m down for brainstorming or just basing things off of chem!!

#slintro #tw: abuse #tw: murder #tw: suicide #tw: child selling #tw: child slavery

[tvobsessed96]

Top 10 TV Episodes of 2019

10. Marvel’s Runaways- Season 3, Episode 10- “Cheat the Gallows”

I’ll be the first to admit that Runaways is not a perfect show. I didn’t like season 1 all that much, mostly because Pride’s motivations and ultimate goals were too poorly defined for my tastes. I’m not expecting a big expositional villain monologue, but I at least need to understand what the villains are trying to accomplish and why. Otherwise, it’s hard to get emotionally invested. Having said that, season 2 was a marked improvement, and I wound up falling in love with this scrappy bunch of kids anyway. Which makes it all the more disappointing that the season that proved Runaways could be something great if it tried ended up being its last. I enjoyed season 3 a lot. The writing was better, the performances stepped up to match, and as annoyed as I am that the evil alien family trying to kill everyone plot was dropped unceremoniously without a satisfying explanation partway through the season, the battle with Morgan le Fey was filled with enough danger and tension to make up for it. But rather than choose that climactic battle as my entry for this list, I went with the messy, emotionally fraught aftermath. “Cheat the Gallows” could have been a simple, somewhat patriarchal story about a man going back in time to rescue the woman he loves, but it ended up being about a family clawing its way back together after wrestling with a shared trauma. Which, come to think of it, is pretty much exactly how the show started! Talk about coming full circle. The episode also ended up being a bit of a meditation on time itself, as the older versions of the Runaways contemplate the fact that Gert’s death led them down the paths that made them who they are. Once that’s erased, so are they. This realization gives the Runaways, mostly Nico, a chance to think about what they would have done differently, leading to a powerful scene in which Nico talks with her past self and pleads with her not to make the same mistakes she did. I bet we’ve all wished we could do that at one point or another. I also like that the episode ends with the sense that, with Gert saved, the Runaways might just be okay. Even if the note left for Alex by his murderous older self adds an ominous note to the whole thing.

9. So You Think You Can Dance- Season 16, Epsiode 15- “Live Finale Winner Announced”

So You Think You Can Dance continues to be the best reality competition show no one’s really talking about. Cat Deely has been robbed of her Emmy for best host too many times, but I digress. This show is always the highlight of my summer, and season 16 was no exception. Another season of amazing choreography, amazing performances, and a truly deserving winner that I can’t really be mad about, even if I was rooting for other dancers just as much. It was another really fun season, and I can’t wait for season 17! There’s a reason Fox keeps renewing this show despite the ratings, is all I’m saying.

8. Emergence- Season 1, Episode 9- “Where You Belong”

It’s true that the first half of Emergence’s freshman season was a bit uneven. The writing isn’t quite as compelling as it could be, and it does rely on some sci-fi cliches. But I’m a sucker for a good found family story, so I stuck it out. And I’m certainly glad I did, because the mid-season finale was pretty great! An excellent sense of stakes, and enough tension to keep you on the edge of your seat without skimping on the sweeter moments. It culminates in one of the most brilliant twists I’ve seen on TV since The Good Place! I’m curious to see what the rest of the season will bring.

7. Veronica Mars- Season 4, Episode 3- “Keep Calm and Party On”

I’m willing to bet that this will be the most controversial pick on the list, for several reasons. No, season 4 of Veronica Mars was not as good as its first, and I have problems with the way Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell handled the fan response to the ending. And that’s before we get to the episode itself. Many long-time fans of the series took serious issue with the extended party scene in this episode, given that Veronica was drugged and raped at a party in high school. There’s also her mother’s own history of alcoholism to consider. But while I absolutely sympathize with those concerns, Veronica’s decision to let loose and party still feels understandable to me. Given everything that’s been going on with the bombing case, she's searching for some kind of release. And if there was a year where the desire to just forget about the world for a while, past traumas be damned, felt all too real, it was 2019. And that’s why “Keep Calm and Party On” makes the list.

6. Single Parents- Season 1, Episode 23- “Ketchup”

Will and Angie are clearly the Jess and Nick of Single Parents, which is fine. But part of me is sort of hoping they don’t get together, because their friendship is pretty great. In this episode, Will takes Angie to a terrible fast food restaurant to confront Graham’s dad about abandoning her while she was pregnant. Will ends up using a bunch of food metaphors to explain to Derek what an amazing mother and person Angie is, and it’s fantastic! Add that to Douglas and Poppy realizing their feelings for each other, and you’ve got an episode that’s as completely hilarious as it is completely sweet. If you haven’t watched this show, check it out! It’s pretty delightful. 

5. Stumptown- Season 1, Episode 3- “Rip City Dicks”

Stumptown was the best new show this fall, hands down. The first half of its first season didn’t end quite as strongly as it started, but it gave us some fantastic episodes along the way. “Rip City Dicks” is one of them. Dex is hoping to apprentice under veteran PI Artie Banks in order to earn her license, but gets a cold, hard dose of reality when he sells out their client and her child to make a quick buck. Dex does learn a valuable lesson from it, though. Exactly what kind of private investigator she doesn’t want to be. The episode ends with an amazing, very feminist monologue from Dex promising Candace that she’ll get her kid back. It’s a fantastic performance from Cobie Smulders, and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season! If you’re not watching Stumptown, you’re missing out.

4. This Is Us- Season 4, Episode 7- “The Dinner and the Date”

America’s favorite cry-worthy family drama gave us plenty of great episodes this year, including a much-anticipated origin story for Beth Pearson. Out of all the possible options, I ended up choosing “The Dinner and the Date” as my entry for this list. On one hand, you’ve got a sweet story of young love set against the backdrop of Philadelphia. On the other hand, you’ve got a young Black kid trying to form his own identity in a way his white adoptive parents just can’t understand, no matter how hard they may try. It’s a beautiful episode, and I look forward to seeing what 2020 brings for the Pearson family.

3. Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger- Season 2, Episode 10- “Level Up”

Honestly, I could have chosen any episode form Cloak & Dagger’s stellar second season for this list. There’s the near-perfect three episode run of “B-Sides,” “Vikingtown Sound,” and “Two Player.” There’s also the dark, thought-provoking Emma Lahana showcase that is “Shadow Selves.” But I ended up choosing the finale, because it felt like such a perfect culmination of everything the show had been doing up to that point. Tandy and Ty take on every obstacle Andre throws at them with an abundance of grace and an unshakable faith in each other. The choice to have them literally fight each other’s demons was inspired! But the most powerful moment comes when Tandy gets the chance to confront her late father after everything she’s learned about him since his death. She tells him in no uncertain terms that she, and only she, gets to decide how big a part of her he is. She says that the only thing she can do in the face of adversity is level up. If there’s a lesson to take into 2020, it’s this. If you think you aren’t strong enough to face what the world sends your way, level up. Turn your dagger of light into a sword of light. Stare oppression in the face and say, with your whole being, “Not today.” Disney and Marvel made a big mistake in cancelling Cloak & Dagger. Huge.

2. Good Trouble- Season 1, Episode 8- “Byte Club”

I hope anyone who thought Good Trouble wouldn’t be as powerful as The Fosters is really embarrassed after these first 20 episodes, and I mean that in the best possible way. Good Trouble is everything a great spin-off should be. It keeps the spirit, heart, and progressive mission of the original show, while also feeling like its own distinct entity. It introduces an amazing cast of new characters to love, without forgetting to check in on the old ones every once in a while. “Byte Club” has to be the best offering the show’s given us so far. Facing rampant gender and race discrimination at work, Mariana rallies the women of Speckulate to come up with a set of tips to help them assert themselves in the workplace. The advice they come up with is solid, and actually really useful in real life. But it’s made even more powerful when Mariana points out that women in professional spaces shouldn’t have to jump through all these ridiculous hoops just to get recognized for having an idea! And that’s not the only powerful feminist moment of the episode. Callie discovers that the reason Rebecca ended up as a clerk for Judge Wilson is because her previous judge sexually harassed her, and her powerful family refused to do anything about it other than get her out of there. I’ll admit that Callie had no right to insert herself into that situation and guilt Rebecca into coming forward in the following episode, but it’s still an amazing scene featuring excellent performances from Maia Mitchell and Molly McCook. I’m so excited for more Good Trouble in the new year!

1. The Good Place- Season 3, Episode 13- “Pandemonium”

The final season of The Good Place has been fantastic so far, and several of the most recent episodes almost made this list. But at the end of the day, “Pandemonium” is the kind of episode that makes me want to make television. To make something that will touch other people the way this episode touched me. I could go on and on about the beautiful love story between Eleanor and Chidi. But instead, I want to focus on the final scene, in which a distraught Eleanor calls Janet into her office and demands the answer to, well, everything. What does it all mean? Because if there’s no greater meaning, then the universe is just made of pain, and Eleanor can’t accept that. Janet’s response is what really makes the scene sing, so I’ll quote it here. “If there were an answer I could give you to how the universe works, it wouldn’t be special. It would just be machinery fulfilling its cosmic design. It would just be a big, dumb food processor. But since nothing seems to make sense, when you find something or someone that does, it’s euphoria.” To which Eleanor replies that all she can do is “embrace the pandemonium” and “find happiness in the unique insanity of being here, now.” And then she steels herself, opens the door, and welcomes her soulmate who has no idea who she is into the afterlife. This is the same philosophical bent that made me adore Angel so much, and it works just as well here. This episode aired all the way back in January, and these sentiments got me through awful headline after awful headline in 2019. Catch up on The Good Place if you haven’t already. It will be going off the air soon, and our lives will be all the worse for it.

#marvel's runaways #runaways #so you think you can dance #emergence #veronica mars #single parents #stumptown #this is us #cloak and dagger #good trouble #the good place

[toooldforfandom-liveblogs]

RWBY V07E07 - Worst Case Scenario

It has been two weeks since I last watched RWBY so let me try and remember what happened. There was a party, some flirting, a kiss... and that's it, right? Nothing bad happened, right? Right?

* sigh *

I assume someone is going to drop the title referring to the fallout after what happened last episode. I expect riots and Grimm, and maybe Robyn trying to commandeer the resources destined for the future Amity Tower (which is probably the only thing Ironwood _really_ cares about since he has been all "it's worth the sacrifice" the entire season so far.) I don't want to keep waiting so let's do this!

Oh no, sad Penny. What an auspicious start for the episode.

This is her dad, right? Those robot pats straddle the line between dorky and sad. I doubt the military wants Penny in the streets so I guess this is the only way he can be with her. Ugh. My heart.

Look at this crime against humanity. RT will answer for this someday!

Oh, one of the thirsty moms survived! The one with the casserole!

She's _terrified_, and with good reason. From her point of view, her own government killed her friends for daring to believe. What if she's next? Is Atlas going to start hunting everyone who supported Robyn? What about the people close to them?

We know that's not going to happen but she (and the rest of Mantle) is in all her right to believe it will

Oh no.

It's interesting how the scene that was, at the time, only a gag showing Jaune's bad luck and some cute kids with their moms, ended up being setup to show us how quick everything changed. Now their moms are dead and they are orphans, alone and in the cold.

Of course, this only furthers my belief that nothing good can be trusted in RWBY because it'll only be used to increase our suffering.

I'm going to _pissed_ if this happens. Stop killing Penny for god's sake.

First: I'm so glad she's okay.

Second: holy shit

did she just absorb an entire truck into her hand? Is she a human pokeball / dragon ball capsule? What a busted up semblance!

Huh. I really thought it was going to be something related to his tower. Unless that's what he's _really_ worried about (was that the truck's destination?)

ah, there you go.

Good!

Was Ozpin an "end justifies the means" man? I think he wasn't really, or at least he didn't consider himself one, but he had spent so much time alive he lost sight of what he was doing and asking people to do for him really meant.

In comparison Ironwood knows exactly what's going on. He believes he's doing the right thing by prioritizing the tower over his people. And maybe he's right from a global point of view? But the fact that the human lives that are going to be lost are the ones that were _already_ suffering is a supremely bad look. What's going to be left of Mantle after he saves the world?

You tell him, Nora!

Nothing good ever comes when someone says "the greater good."

Ilia said exactly the same thing back in Volume 5, almost word for word. I wonder if the callback is intentional or if there's just not that many ways to use that concept as an excuse.

I _really_ thought she was going to say "exchanging Salem for you."

I love how Nora is the one speaking up but I hate that no one is supporting her. Winter looks completely unimpressed back there but I didn't expect much from her or Clover but what about the rest?

_Thank you_

Wow, what did he do to get Salem's personal attention? Because "what are you?" followed by "Beautiful" has to be about her, right?

oh _no_ what is wrong with Reeeeeen.

We never got an explanation about his behavior, he didn't talk and Nora kissing him solved zero problems. Yay.

I was hoping for a cut away to them partying it up before all hell broke lose but oh well.

Treason!

I _love_ that they are all right, or rather, their opinions are all understandable. I can see where both Yang and Blake are coming from and there's no way to say "ah, the show is doing everything it can to show that Yang is wrong."

Which keeps increasing my worry about how they are going to handle the end of the arc because so far the show has been very even handed but any ending where the long term sacrifice and oppression of Mantle ends up being justified is going to be... well, bad. It doesn't help that the "oppression" hasn't been really visible so it could be reaally easy to just sweep it under the carpet and just say something about "things are going to be better from now on" or even "they weren't that bad to begin with"

Anyway, this is me getting worried about things that may not even happen so I won't keep talking about it. Let me say instead how happy I am that they are still dealing with what happened with Adam and of course that would color Blake's views of what she wants to do in the future.

And is that treason I'm hearing here? I expected a team up with Robyn but I didn't expect it to come from these two. Interesting. Is Yang going to spill the beans to her about the tower and Salem?

Look at those green borders inside the boot! Tsk, tsk, Watts. He obviously was getting bored of masking Penny frame per frame.

lmao. Maria is straight up vocalizing the section of the fandom that misses the early simpler seasons

Oh. Watts's plan has _layers_. I'm impressed!

ooh hidden penny lore

how many theories is this going to prove/disprove?

The man under the thumb has to be Watts, right?

WOW

I _really_ didn't expect this to be the answer for Penny's soul. I was in the "there's no artificial soul" camp but I expected something like Pietro transferring someone else's soul or a lost daughter, not him literally giving her part of his soul.

What does this mean for Penny? Does the part of the soul Pietro gives her grow like a plant from a cutting or everything she uses her semblance or is hurt she loses a bit more of it? It has to grow, right?

It's good to see an explanation for Pietro's death flags. Is he going to die saving Penny one last time? Jaune is learning how to manipulate his aura outwards...

Just lol at the being an obvious villain even in the group pictures.

So, is this personal for Watts? Did Ironwood choosing Penny mean the end of his career? Did he try to do whatever he planned anyway and got fired?

The hand again! Is that how she activates her semblance? But if she needs the person to grab her hand, what did she expect from Clover?

Also, props to the show for making everyone react somewhat realistically. Of course, Robyn was going to run the second she saw Ironwood's new pets.

Is Ironwood intentionally using RWBY and the rest to keep suspicions down? "They are all young and attractive, some even look innocent, there's no way they are doing anything _bad_, right?" But again, that would mean Ironwood is playing 4D chess and I'm not sure that's his deal.

Oh no. And Yang is so proud of her pun.

That was a good first step. I can't deny I was hoping for Yang and Blake to join the huntresses and kick ass but I was dreaming too big.

...so it was Ozpin idea to have a city floating above Mantle making ther differences permanently clear? Has Ozpin ever had a good idea?

FREE ENERGY AND THEY STILL ABUSE PEOPLE TO GET DUST

AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I know it's probably not easy but

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa

Atlas is 100% going to crash into the ground. I think everyone already suspected it'd happen but this is a gigantic death flag.

Ironwood is sliding down as fast as he can down the slippery slope of the greater good. He didn't want Ozpin's opinion, he wanted Ozpin to tell him he was right.

It feels so bad to take away from Oscar's growth but I wonder if they are already merging.

welp

That was a great episode to return to. Somehow RWBY is managing to handle all the balls it had in the air earlier in the season and hasn't dropped one yet.

I was expecting that the episode would start with Yang and Blake or Weiss and company but nope, just sadness and tragedy. Followed by more consequences, in the form of Robyn and her happy huntresses finally doing what they probably wanted to do from the start. If the "legal" way didn't work, well, time to do it anyway. That does leave me with some questions about how long was the timeskip between episodes, it can't be that same night, especially with the news showing things like "additional deaths confirmed." Maybe same week but at least a couple of days later?

Ironwood needs someone to shake him by the shoulders. Some of the things he's saying wouldn't be out of place in any villain's origin story, especially the part about wanting to get rid of his fear. I hope Jacques being the awful man he is shows him what waits for him in the other side.

Pietro's reveal about Penny's soul really feels like the biggest of his death flags so far. Him dying trying to make Penny live again really feels like end-of-season drama, considering there's no Pyrrha to kill again and apparently RT really likes killing Penny. Jaune _just_ learning about the possibilities of his semblance feels weirdly suspicious now that we know about Penny's aura but... it's a bit too out there since I think they have never talked. Or maybe it's all a misdirect and someone else ends up dying with RT winking at us saying "you really though it'd be Penny, huh?" At this point I'm not sure what'd be worst.

I liked everything about Yang and Blake's talk in the truck. I'm not a big fan of Yang's main trait lately being "dislikes secrets" (the secondary being "likes Blake") but I'm not sure if overcoming that is just her next step in her growth or if that's all there's going to be.

Their chat with Robyn was great, I can't wait for the repercussions of telling the leader of the resistance the biggest secret Atlas has. With Ironwood being who he is, it could be _bad_ for the couple which could push everyone else in one direction or the other, and not necessarily the _same_ direction, as we already saw with Ren who's officially canceled because for some reason he's going all fash (I _really_ need an explanation before the season ends)

This volume is going places, can't wait for the next episode! Until next time!

#rwby #rwby liveblog #rwby v07e07

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

August Picks

And so we’re back for another end of month wrap up! Looking back I feel like I didn’t watch too many new things; I finished a few shows that I talked about last month (the 100, Blood & Treasure to name a few). I guess it’s good I watched less-maybe I went outside more? 

Spoilers....

DERRY GIRLS SEASON 2

You all already know how much I love this show, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I’m starting with it I was SO EXCITED to hear that season 2 was coming to Netflix August 1st and I tried my best to drag out watching the episodes. But it’s really really hard when there’s only 6 of them (a half hour each) and they’re just SOO GOOD! So I finished in about a week, but I guess that’s better than a day. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I enjoyed season 2 more than season 1. I laughed so hard (and got a little teared up in the last episode-especially afterwards when it was over and I discovered that next season won’t start filming until 2020!) I LOVED the stories this season and how the adults got more of a major plot-line in each episode. At times I laughed harder at them (at the movie theater, Gerry making the sandwiches at the funeral). More people seriously need to check out this show. It’s hilarious and a quick watch that you won’t want to end. 

KRYPTON SEASON (SERIES) FINALE

Syfy’s Krypton ended a few weeks ago, but I was holding off watching it until last week. I know I had said this in my last review, but this season was tough for me to get into, but once I did then I was really enjoying it. However, once we got to the last couple of episodes I was losing interest again. Plus, hearing that the show was cancelled made it harder to finish. SPOILERS! So, we knew they had to defeat Zod and it made sense that he is now under the Black Mercy (like Lyta was), but obviously this is only a temporary fix. He’ll definitely find his way out; he’s smart. Then Brainiac and Doomsday are still an issue, so while things are safe for now things didn’t exactly get settled. Now I get they thought they’d get a third season so things would have to be resolved later, but this still feels like a lot. Of course I’m upset that we won’t see Jor-El getting rescued AND the next season build up with Brainiac taking him to Earth to create his very own “Superman” seems really interesting. But we won’t see it. Meanwhile Nyssa is off world and Lobo is back (he was funny so I was happy to see him again). Like I said, I’m not surprised the show got cancelled, but I think a third season would have been good. What do you think?

CATCHING UP 

ARROW

It might have been MONTHS in the making, but I FINALLY caught up and finished Arrow season 7. I was only 3 episodes behind, but it took me a very long time to complete. My main comments on this season was that the beginning was good and the rest was eh. I liked Oliver in the prison and while I was done with Diaz very early on I was happy to see that story-line resolved. Now, while I did take a very long time to watch this season in entirety (and that might be the main reason I feel this way), Oliver being in the prison feels like A LONG time ago (and a completely different season). When I look back on this season I really just think of him and Emiko who I was not a fan of. We lose Thea and welcome another half-sister who we learn knew about the sinking of the Queen’s Gambit before anyone else. The constant back and forth of trying to save Emiko got very repetitive and while I know Oliver as the hero could not give up on her fully, I wanted him to. I was also not a huge fan of the flash forward this year. At times I did like it, but I think the show did fine that one season when there was no added plot-line. The ending to this season was a disappointment. I was very curious how things with Felicity would end seeing as how she is not going to return for the final season. But overall it felt very much like a SERIES finale, which makes me worried for the last season. Will it just feel like a filler? How many people will return? Will we even be in Star City? Taking Oliver away like that sucked and I really hope he gets reunited with his children.

THE FLASH

As a big fan of all the CW Arrow-verse shows this past season I had a hard time getting into most of them and got VERY behind on episodes before just giving up on watching altogether. While Arrow was one that I was just a couple episodes behind for most of the year and Legends of Tomorrow I binged all at once the Flash and Supergirl dropped off my watch-list. This was sad for me because I had enjoyed these shows a lot, so now at the end of summer we’re giving it a second go! This month I began the 5th season of the Flash and am currently on episode 5? I only remembered the first 2 episodes, which shows you how long ago I stopped watching. I remember not being a huge fan of Nora West-Allen and this is mainly because they are making the actress seem a lot younger than she is. The mistakes she makes and her overall attitude feels better suited for a pre-teen/young adult rather than someone in their twenties. I’m still holding out hope that this changes as the episodes progress. I really love this idea of having Barry and Iris’ daughter in the past (because it feels very much like something Barry would do) and how they are still addressing the headline of the Flash’s disappearance. I feel like maybe as we uncover more about Nora’s past I will enjoy her character more. This season I like the return to the CCPD and Iris’ blog. Sometimes the alter-ego jobs get pushed aside and I am happy to see the return of Barry and Iris in the field as themselves. With this addition to her character plus the fact that Nora is being completely rude to her, I feel this is the most I’ve like Iris in a very long time. I love how she stands by her decision of keeping Nora’s powers a secret even though she hasn’t done so yet, and the fact that Barry is with her. I’m glad they’re finally taking her character to places outside of STAR Labs. I think Caitlin’s story-line of finding her father is really interesting as well as the origins of Killer Frost. This reincarnation of Wells will take some getting used to, but I already like his dynamic with Ralph (baby giraffe) and of course Cisco. (They are always the best.) I’ll continue watching and see if my feelings change, but I do feel that I’m getting invested again, which makes me happy. 

MOVIES

Descendants 3

Should I be embarrassed that I am putting Descendants 3 on this list and I am a lot older than the intended audience? Nope. While this DCOM came out at the beginning of the month, it has replayed on Disney Channel dozens of times already so I feel I have watched it fully or in clips many times. Out of the entire series this movie is one of my favorites. I like the songs and the overall plot. The idea of having one of the hero’s kids become a villain was genius and really said something about people’s innermost character. My main problem with this part of the movie was that I wanted more repercussions for Audrey. In the end she almost dies and they bring her back and everything is good because she apologies. But her intentions seemed real at the start of the movie. Could they vanish that quickly? (Now I know what you’re thinking...this is a kid movie. Of course she needs to learn what she did was wrong. But I think it would be even more interesting if she didn’t or struggled with it. Either way she should have had some sort of punishment. I don’t think they should have welcomed her back so fast.) I really liked meeting new characters from the Isle of the Lost, the new addition of VKs in Auradon and Hades. I wish all the new VKs would have gotten more screen time as well as Hades. From the promos leading up to the film he seemed really important and the actual BIG BAD of the movie. I would have liked to see a little more of that. But I did really like learning he is Mal’s dad. I loved seeing Uma, Harry and Gil working with the Auradon group. Again, this drove the message home about working together now matter what your background. There’s probably a lot more I could talk about but these are really the main moments that stuck out to me/my main concerns. I know I’ll be singing the songs for a very long time.  

Miss Austen Regrets

As a Jane Austen buff, it is probably very surprising to hear that I had not watched Miss Austen Regrets (2008) until last week. I knew about it, but am always cautious when it comes to a film adaptation of the author’s life; especially after Becoming Jane (which yes is a great movie, but not 100% accurate). It took learning that Tom Hiddleston was in the film to make me watch it. (I know, but just look at him. He’s got such a baby face.) :)

But a young and always good looking Tom Hiddleston should not be the only reason to watch this film (although it is a great reason). The movie focuses on Jane’s later years as she completes Emma. She visits her niece Fanny who is deciding who she loves and how to know what love is. In her early twenties, Fanny seeks advice from her aunt as to how to spend the rest of her life. Should she settle? Or wait for the man of her dreams? But what if he’s right in front of her? Her aunt, the author of romances, should have the answer, but in fact she believes she doesn’t. You get a little insight into some of Jane’s past loves and lots of echoes to Persuasion (one of the novels published after Austen’s death). I had just finished reading Persuasion for the second time and watching this film so closely behind it mirrored that tale of maturity, friendship and romance very well. Taken from the remaining letters between Austen and Fanny the movie feels authentic. Of course nothing can be 100% but I think Miss Austen Regrets does a very good job. 

BINGEING

THE WALKING DEAD

And so the summer binge continues on. Gotta say that I feel pretty obsessed with this show now. You know you are watching a lot when you start to have dreams where you are fighting walkers. (And yes, that recently happened to me.) Currently I’m in season 5. Just finished season 4 this week, which I think might be my favorite so far. I really enjoyed their time in the prison and while I thought the episodes with the illness dragged at times, once the Governor returned it really picked up again. (Although I didn’t love the stand-alone episodes focused on him.) Then watching the group be separated and anticipating the reunions between them all was great. Terminius definitely seemed too good to be true and I am happy that (right now at least) it seems to be resolved. Now we are heading to Washington. I like seeing the new characters that I know will be a part of the regulars. It does make me nervous about some of the originals. Losing Hershel was tough. I’m not ready to lose too many more. 

#tv shows #tv show reviews #derry girls #netflix derry girls #derry girls season 2 #Krypton #krypton syfy #seg el #jor el #arrow #oliver queen #oliver x emiko #arrow season 7 review #The Flash #the flash season 5 #nora west allen #descendants 3 #miss austen regrets #jane austen #tom hiddleston #The Walking Dead #Binge Watching #bingeworthy #what you should be watching

[joyofcrime-elinorhigh]

Samurai Jack Season 5 REVIEW:

  Thirteen years have passed, but the series does not age. It was a modern classic. Yet, the film's setbacks continued...Hope was lost. Got to get back, back to the past. Samurai Jack. Jack Jack...Jack Jack Jack.......Watcha?  Well that was literally the worst intro conceivably possible and I've just lost all of my credibility. Let's do this!

    Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt and it's finally time for me to finally talk about the show that everybody in the animation community was talking about...about a month or so ago. (Dang self imposed hiatus.) From the director of "Adam Sandler get's into wacky situations as a vampire for ninety minutes 1 and 2" come the long awaited fifth season of Samurai Jack!  Now before we start this, I feel that it's important for me to talk about my feelings on the first four seasons of the show. the first thing to get out of the way is that I did not watch Samurai Jack much when I was a kid. I started watching the series about a year ago, after I heard that a fifth season was announced. So basically, I have no "nostalgia." for this series. Also I haven't seen every episode of the old series, but I have seen a good handful and from what I've seen, it was pretty awesome. The show has one of the most creative premises for an animated series I've ever seen, and takes full advantage of all the possibilities that it's world presents. The show has a level of artistry that I have not seen from any other animated series except for maybe "Over the Garden Wall." And it has a very memorable cast of characters. (Even if said cast of characters is only about three guys.) The show was sometime truly unique, and there really isn't anything else like it. Except for Genndy's "Star Wars: Clone Wars" series, which is more or less Samurai Jack with a "Star Wars" mod skin over it. The show isn't perfect though, at least in my opinion. Sometimes the pacing can be a bit too slow, and a lot of times episodes are really just one long action scene. This wouldn't be a problem except most of the time it's Jack fighting some generic bounty hunter or monster who was just introduced in the episode, so it's hard to find them that interesting. Unless it's Aku, or a few other stand out villains, most of the foe's that Jack face tend to have really cool powers and designs, but not much personality. But those are small problems in an otherwise great show. .  But how does this sequel season hold up. (And yes, it's a sequel season not a reboot. It's set in the same continuity as the old show so it isn't a reboot, dang it!) A lot of times in the past when a series comes back after being cancelled for a long time, it tends to come back not as good (*COUGH COUGH! FUTURAMA! COUGH! COUGH!*) does Samurai Jack fall into this trap or is it a rare exception to this rule. Let's dive in and find out. Oh, and the first part of this review will be mostly spoiler free, and then I'll have a warning before I get into spoilers. And when I say spoilers, I mean anything major that wasn't revealed in the first official trailer. Just for a heads up.  Samurai Jack season five opens up fifty years after the first four seasons. It's basically the same old story, as Jack travels around helping people from the clutches of Aku and his minions. Only this time it's a more grizzled Jack, who has a beard, wears all black, uses really big guns, and has a motorcycle-HEY, COME BACK! I PROMISE IT'S NOT AS DUMB AS IT SOUNDS! Jack has become tired of all of this. Aku has destroyed all of the time portals, so he has no way to get back to the past. And to make matters worse Jack has lost his sword years ago, which is the only thing that can kill Aku. So Jack has been basically trapped in this limbo for fifty years, with no hope of every truly defeating Aku. (He doesn't age anymore due to a side effect of the time portal.)  Meanwhile, we get introduced to the Cult of Aku. A cult who worships Aku as a God and is for some reason only made up of woman. I guess Aku likes his cult EXTRA THICC! (*Obligatory "Extra Thicc" joke...check!*) The High Priestesses of this cult gives birth the seven daughters, and we see that they are all raised from birth to become the perfect killing machines. And so this team of assassin's known as the "Daughters of Aku" lead by one of the daughter named Ashi (You know she's the leader cause she's the only one who has a name.) head out to find Samurai Jack and destroy him once and for all.  So in case you couldn't tell, this season is MUCH darker than the past seasons of this show. But it manages to be dark without coming off as needlessly edgy, which is a really impressive feat. In fact Samurai Jack may be one of few "darker and grittier" continuations of ANY franchise actually works to the series advantage. It's not infallible, as there are a lot of scenes that do feel like there just being needlessly bloody and violent just because they can now, but for the most part the darker tone works to the series advantage. Serious issues are tackled, and they treat them seriously. Jack is driven by guilt over not being able to save people from Aku, and this guilt haunts him, both in the form of visions from his "past self" who is very reminiscent of Mad Jack from the old series, but also in the form of a ghostly horseman who wants to claim Jack and make him fall into despair.

 The series tackles themes of depression, PTSD, child abuse, suicide, and weather or not it's okay to kill in self defense, and it doesn't sugar coat it either. So many adult shows just use raunchy humor and violence for a quick joke. And there's nothing necessarily, I like a lot of adult cartoons, but it is great to see an adult cartoon actually tackle adult issues with this level or respect and seriousness. So many adult cartoons just have characters kill people just cause' but this series actually poses questions about weather it's right or wrong, and makes it clear there's not always an easy answer. I have a lot of respect for this season for tackling these issues, and for doing it in a way that feels natural. This series really plays up all the implications that the first for series posed when it comes to the world that Jack lives in. Innocent people do die, and Aku and his bounty hunters do kill people. And the fact that Jack's been seeing this destruction and carnage for fifty years, and is powerless to truly stop it, it makes sense that he's beginning to lose sight between right and wrong. It makes sense that's he's getting PTSD visions in the middle of fights. And it makes sense that he's contemplating suicide. He can't die of old age, and no robot or bounty hunter is able to kill him. He feels like he's going to be wandering this world forever, and you quickly see why he wouldn't want that. It's really well done, and I give the series a lot of props for tackling these issues. In fact this type of stuff is probably my favorite element of this season.  The show also still looks amazing. The designs and creativity are still very much there, and in some respects are even better than the old show. There are some scenes like the temple battle in episode two that honestly feel down right cinematic. The show still has it's quite, atmospheric moments, but the show also has a much brisker pace, due to actually having a continuous narrative. I like the brisker pace of the season...for the most part, but I'll get to that later. The action is still amazingly well done, and it's great to see an action show that is actually successful both critically and in terms of popularity. It's been so long since we had that. It's also neat to see an american action show that is target strictly for adults. We so rarely see that, and I'm glad that this was successful, and hopefully this seasons success could lead to more action adult animation in the future.  Honestly, this is how a sequel series or a reboot should be done in my opinion. It captures the essence of the original, but does add enough new elements to make it unique. It would of been so easy to not make the series any darker, and just make it a bunch of standalone episodes, and then maybe do a two part finale wrapping everything up. But I like how it took a risk, and it clearly worked out for them.  But yeah, onto the flaws, I...  HEY! You're not allowed to have criticisms of this! This is Genndy Tartakovsky we're talking about! He can't do any wrong you casual plebe!  Well, I believe that no one is perfect, and that everything has some pros and some cons, okay? I respect Genndy a lot, but even he has his duds. Have you seen his Cartoonsitute pilot "Maruined?" Of course you haven't, because it's awful! And before you say that Samurai Jack is flawless, I present you this scene where the animators forgot to give Jack a beard...

0 out of 10! Needs more beard!!!1!  One thing, I don't really like what this season did with Aku. I kinda get what they were trying to do. They wanted to show the similarities between Jack and Aku, and give them a sort of symbiotic "Batman/Joker" style situation. Both are immortal, but neither of them can be happy until they kill the other and neither can. That is actually a really cool idea, and in theory I think it could really work. But the execution is where it falls a bit flat for me. He's just to silly. And I know he was silly in the old show, but he was also scary and a real threat. He doesn't feel that threatening in this season. The world he created is threatening, but the problem lies in the fact that, while everything else in this season is given a darker tone, it's surprisingly the villain who stays the same. I think this Aku could work for Cartoon Network, but not adult swim. Characters like the High Priestess come across as more intimidating then the God they worship. Aku also seems kinda like a wimp, afraid to fight Jack if Jack has his sword, even though he fought Jack in the old show a ton of times while Jack still had his sword. Because, even with the sword, Aku was still a shape shifting demon God who could kill you with heat vision. But here they all just act like once Jack has the sword he can just walk up to Aku and just kill him. Episode seven and a bit of episode nine are really the only episode where Aku feels like old Aku. I know they want to make him silly because everything else is so heavy, but if Gravity Falls can make a villain be as terrifying and comedic as Bill, then they could of balanced it with Aku.

Oh, check it out. Aku twerking. Interesting how NOBODY CARED WHEN SAMURAI JACK DID IT!  Also, there are point in the season that are incredibly rushed! I know earlier I like the pacing, and I do in terms of actually events in particular scenes and episodes, but when looking at the season as a whole, it's impossible for me to not notice the pacing problems. Event's weren't necessarily rushed, but arcs where. I can't go into the specific problems until I get to spoilers but the pacing is probably my biggest problem with the season. If there is one thing you can say about Samurai Jack is that it NEVER felt rushed. It always took it's time when it came to presenting a scene. That's why so many episodes would start with Jack just slowly walking across a landscape. I can't really go into specific examples without going into spoilers though so...let's get into spoilers. THIS IS THE SPOILER SECTION!  So let's talk about Ashi. I really like the concept of her. An assassin trained from birth worshiping Aku who ends up becoming Jack's sort of sidekick. Ashi and Jack do have a good dynamic going on once Ashi begins her redemption arc. I like how it's not just a student/master relationship, as they both teach each other things. Jack teaches Ashi to let go of her hate, and Ashi teaches Jack to let go of his regret. This stuff I really like, and I think it works really well. The problem I have is that Ashi's whole character arc feels incredibly rushed!  the issue stems from just how devoted Ashi was to her cause at the start of the season. She literally spends all of episode four trying to kill Jack while inside the sand worms stomach, and makes it very clear that she is willing to kill herself as well as long as she makes sure the samurai dies with her. She is completely unphased about her sisters being killed, because her life and the concept of life in general hold such little value to her. But then she just see's Jack not kill a ladybug and suddenly, Bam. She no longer wants to kill him. MIRACULOUS! And yeah, I know Jack tells her that everything she knows is wrong, and she wants to know why, but if she's this brainwashed then why does it work so quickly. She's known Jack for like a day, and has spent at least eighteen years being told to never trust him. I know she see's him sparing the ladybug, but she also saw Jack sparing her life countless times, and that didn't effect her. It was only when he saved the ladybug when she decided to not kill him.  And speaking of rushed, oh boy oh boy, let's talk about episode eight. Let me get this out of the way, I can see a scenario where "Jashi" as others have called it COULD work. The two have very good dynamic together. Yes, it is a little weird cause Jack is literally old enough to be her grandfather, and he is also the only man she's ever had any form of serious interaction with, and it could be seen as a bit of taking advantage of her, but I can let that go on the grounds of it just being a cartoon. I'm not totally closing the door on the possibility of a relationship. The issue is that nothing in the previous episodes seems to imply that there relationship was like that. And then in episode eight were just suppose to buy it. And I don't. This relationship needed more then just one episode to establish itself. Still though, Jack being hilariously awkward almost made up for it.

Jack: So Ashi, did either of our parents explain to us how sex works? Ashi: Nope. Jack: Damn it.  And there are even more examples of times where the pacing seems to be a bit rushed, but those are the two main ones. Honestly, I don't know why the pacing is like this. Part of me feels like maybe the series could of been better if it had a few more episodes to flesh out all of the ideas, like maybe thirteen instead of ten, but even then I'm not so sure. Cause there are a lot of moments in this season that, while usually cool, aren't exactly needed for the plot. Like Scaramouche's whole subplot in episode six. All that is needed plot wise is that he reboots, sets out to go tell Aku about Jack losing his sword, and that's it. We don't need to see him come up with all those schemes to board the boat, our minds would naturally just fill in the blanks on how he got there. Then we could have more time on Jack contemplating suicide. Yes, we would of missed Tom Kenny saying the word "penis" which would obviously be a tragedy, but from a purely plot perspective, we didn't need it.  Or Ashi's whole battle with the orc army in episode seven. We don't need that. All we needed was Ashi to fight her mother. It's not like the orc army really accomplished anything. Heck, honestly did we even need Ashi to fight her mother. I mean I guess it was to give her arc a sense of closure, but she had already denounced Aku and, now knowing the ending of the series, it's not like the priestess was going to survive anyway. Then we could of had more time with Jack on his spiritual quest, instead of him just making tea with Buddha, and just laser zapping Old Jack.  And then there was that one episode in the middle of the season, where Jack and Ashi weren't even in it at all, and the whole episode followed around some old guy in a lab coat ranting about McDonald Schezwan Sauce! I have no idea what THAT was about!

Look, I'm not saying that Genndy Tartakovsky jerks off to Ashi being shown in immense pain but...No, that's exactly what I'm saying. I'm not kink shaming, I'm just sayin'.  Speaking of which, I wanna talk about something in episode six that really bugs me. I find the reason Jack loses his sword to be kinda stupid. Or at the very least, flawed within the logic of the show. In this episode, Aku turns a couple of baby goats into giant monsters and has them attack Jack. Jack, angry about the loss of the last time portal, ends up giving into his anger and kills the baby goats. This is treated as a bad thing, as the Gods make Jack lose his sword because of this. But what was Jack suppose to do?! Let the goats kill him, even though Jack is the only one who has a chance of stopping Aku? There was no way to reverse the effects of Aku's curse. And this wouldn't bother me to much, except earlier in the season we got a whole arc about how it is okay to kill in self defense. The Daughters of Aku are a lot like the goats when you think about it. They were turned against there will to kill Jack. The only difference is that the Daughter's of Aku were mind controlled from birth and the goats were mind controlled with magic. How come it's okay to kill Aku's Daughters but not the goats. If anything Aku's Daughters should have more value, not just because there human, but because Ashi proves that they could be turned good. Who's to say that Ashi is the only one who Jack could of shown the light? There really isn't much implying that all seven daughters couldn't have been reasoned with if they went through the same things that Ashi did? The show just seems like it has some conflicting messages on this subject, and for some reason acts like Ashi was the only one of the Daughters of Aku who could ever possibly be redeemed. Also we see Jack eat meat! So he clearly kills animals! But whatever. I know it's kinda a nitpick but when the whole season makes such a big deal about killing and Jack's sword it's hard not to notice the inconsistencies.    So let's talk about the finale. Outside of episode eight this seems to be the thing that fans are the most split about. Some fans think it's great, while others find it to be a bit of a disappointment after thirteen years of build up. Before I get into the finale though, I just want to say that I CALLED ASHI BEING THE LITERAL DAUGHTER OF AKU! (Kinda.) When the series first started I guessed that Ashi would be the literal daughter of Aku. But then when it seemed like they weren't heading that direction I figured, "Eh, I guess I was wrong." But I was right! Ha!

Jack: DAMN IT, AKU! STOP MAKING ME FALL IN LOVE WITH FEMALE VERSIONS OF YOU! FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU. FOOL ME TWICE, SHAME ON ME!  Anyway, there are definitely a lot of good elements in the finale. The army of past characters coming to Jack's aid, while definitely predictable, was really cool. It really helps fit the theme of Jack's actions having an influence on the world. The fight itself was also cool, and it was great seeing The Scotsman actually reunite with Jack one last time, even if it was a bit brief.  My only main gripes with the finale are that, one.) We never really get a truly epic final battle between Jack and Aku. All we get is a quick curb stomp battle between Jack and Past Aku. We don't get any fight with Jack and future Aku, and it's a bit disappointing since this is literally the only Jake/Aku fight in the whole season, not counting the one in episode six where Aku just runs away. We don't really get a truly epic Jack/Aku on the same level that we got in the old seasons. and two.) I honestly find the ending a bit to happy. I know that sounds weird, considering the fact that it's a bit of a bittersweet ending, but it just felt a bit out of place to me that Jack actually did make it back to the past. The whole season prior really made it seem like it wasn't going to go that way. They seemed to set things up like they were saying "No, Jack can't undo all the horrible things that Aku has done in the past. But that doesn't mean he should give up. He can still defeat Aku now, and free the future from his reign of evil." I mean it kinda makes all the grief he felt in the begining of the season seem less meaningful if he just undoes it. And yes, I know he still had to experience all off that, but still. Also I don't like how it just erased all of the characters who we've come to love over the years. Or are they alive in the future, just a less evil future? I don't know, the show doesn't tell us. It feels really sudden and, again, kinda rushed. I know this ending is kinda controversial, and I don't hate it, but I do find it interesting that a series that fans waited so long for the conclusion to was so unsatisfying to so many people. Like what if other series that have continuations come back and have unsatisfying endings, even if those endings were the ones the creators intended. It'll be interesting to see.  So yeah, I didn't hate the ending by any stretch. I wouldn't even call it bad as much as I would call it off. But then again, maybe after thirteen years we all had the ending sort of worked out in are heads to the point were any ending that didn't match our head cannon would seem a bit off.  There's also some weird fridge logic things to. Like why does Ashi wait till there wedding to stop existing. Did they get married that day? Considering how quickly they feel in love I wouldn't be surprised. Also, did going back in time undoing the whole "immortality" thing or not, it wasn't very clear. What happened when the Emperor dies? Will Jack just be emperor forever. Considering all the crap Jack's been through in the future there's no way ANYTHING in the current timeline would be able to kill him...and he no longer wants to kill himself. Have we just gone full alternate history here? Will Jack live till WWII? Will Japan in this timeline join the allies, as Emperor Jack refuses Hitler's offer to join the Axis due to how much Hitler will remind him of Aku? WILL JACK FIGHT HITLER? CAN HITLER'S "SPEAR OF DESTINY" WORK AGAINST JACKS SWORD? WHO'S MAGIC WOULD BE STRONGER? CAN WE GET A SEASON SIX WERE JACK FIGHTS HITLER? PLEASE adult swim?! PLEASE!? PLEASE!?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct9h_BtUZKI

SPOILERS ARE NOW OVER!  So those are my thoughts on Samurai Jack season five. You might get the impression from all of my complaints that I didn't like the season all that much, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I may be critical, and yes, I do have my problems with the season. But that doesn't make the good stuff in the season any less good. In general I tend to be more critical and nit picky about things I like than things I hate. This is because I expect more from them. Despite it's flaws Samurai Jack season five was still a fun ride from start to finish. The animation is just as, if not more, amazing than it was in the first four seasons. The acting was great, especially Phil Lamar does some really amazing acting as Jack. The darker story line required a lot more emotion behind some of these lines, and he was able to pull them off great, despite how stoic is performance usually is. The action was just as good as ever, and I love the darker road the series took. While I do like a lot of immature adult cartoons it was nice to see one of the only adult shows that actually felt "adult." Sure parts were rushed, the ending was a little wonky, and there are definitely plot holes but as a whole, I think I liked the episodes in this season more than the handful of episodes I've seen of the previous seasons. While that run may have had less plot holes and was less rushed in it's delivery, the stuff in this season is just so good that I can overlook some of the flaws. In the end I'm glad that this story did finally got a proper conclusion, and that the road that we have followed Jack on for last sixteen years has finally come to an end.

So that was my review of Samurai Jack season five. I know I'm a little late to the party on this, but I wanted to make sure that I got it right. What did you think of the review, or the season or series as a whole. Leave your thoughts in the comments down bellow. I'd love to hear what you think, even if you don't agree with me one hundred percent, and start some kind of conversation. Leave a fav, follow, or comment if you liked the review and have a great day.

(I do not own any of the images or videos in this review all credit goes to there original owners.)

https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/Samurai-Jack-Season-Five-REVIEW-687392078 DA Link

#Smaurai Jack #Samurai Jack Season 5 #Review #Toonami #Rick and Morty

[seriouslycromulent]

OK. I originally started this post a week and a half ago. But between 2 trips out of town and the Hell in a Cell PPV, I’m only now getting around to finishing it. So I apologize if it sounds dated or odd. But I did want to share what I learned and experienced at HVFF, especially since it was so close to home.

Anywho … here we go:

I wasn’t planning on going to the Heroes and Villains Fan Fest in New Jersey, but lo and behold, on the Saturday night before, I realized I just might be able to go and spend a couple of hours fawning over some fandom favorites. Especially since they were so close to home (I live in Newark), and the last time Matt Ryan was supposed to come to HVFF, he cancelled at the last minute. 

I can now officially forgive him. He didn’t know we were fighting, but I forgive him nonetheless. ;-)

Anyway, since I could only go on Sunday, I had a very specific agenda:

Enjoy Q&A with Ray Fisher

Meet Matt Ryan and get him to sign my Dangerous Habits graphic novel

Meet Ray Fisher and just bask in his awesomeness! (J/k I got his autograph too!)

Walk around and check out the vendors and artists at the show

Buy nerdy things for a reasonable price

Well, this post is only going to be about item #2 because for the brief time that I got to chat with Matt Ryan, I learned some interesting things about him and what may be on the horizon for his Constantine on the CW.

I’ll try to be quick. Well, I’ll try to try.

Matt Ryan is very chill and took his time talking to people for as long as they wanted while the rest of us waited in line. Some people were aware that others were just as excited as they were to talk to Matt, but a few took a really long time to chat with him. And at no point did I see Matt look bothered, frustrated or tired. He seemed very engaging and interested in everything everyone had to say to him. It could be an act, but even if it is, it’s still a nice thing to do. 

He wore all black, but none of the different shades of black matched, which I kind of liked because that’s just something that Constantine wouldn’t care about either. Just add a leather jacket and you would get Mucous Membrane vibes.

I was surprised by the number of people in line who weren’t talking to each other. Sure, friends who walked up together talked to each other, but I’m used to fans who are willing to stand in line and meet one of their fandom favs just striking up a conversation with one another to pass the time. In Matt’s line, not so much. Or maybe it was just me. It didn’t look like anyone wanted to talk to anyone they didn’t already know.

Matt had a lot of headshots and images to choose from if people wanted an autograph, including some from the NBC series. I really wanted the one with the 4 main cast members (Manny, Zed, John, and Chas), but I had to stay focused.

When I finally got in front of Matt, I fell into this weird thing where I suddenly decide I’m going to overcompensate for my nerves by talking way too much and too fast. But I didn’t want to take up too much of his time and knew others were waiting so I forgave myself for being so effusive. I hope he picked up on my nervous vibes and didn’t hold it against me.

I told him that he was the representation of 2 worlds colliding because I’m a huge Hellblazer fan and a theater geek. And as a matter of fact, when I moved to the East Coast 3 years ago, his play, Therese Raquin, was the first Broadway play I had ever attended. He laughed at that and apologized. He said that that’s a rough one for a first-time Broadway experience. I said it was OK, and I enjoyed it. 

I told him as a matter of fact, I was a part of the preview audience that he talked about in an interview that was deathly quiet after the play ended. I said I remember feeling like, “Oh shit! Was that it? Should we not have laughed at the things we laughed at throughout the play?” For those who don’t know, Emile Zola has a sense of humor, but the play is dark, and it involves a murder and 2 suicides. The lighter moments are needed to release some of the tension in the play, but that performance did not get  a typical audience reaction to the end, I’m guessing.

Then, Matt launches into the story about how it’s interesting to learn what American theater audiences laugh at compared to British audiences. He had previously performed on Broadway in Hamlet a few years earlier, but it had transferred from the UK, and there weren’t any previews, just regular performances. He said there were times when the American audiences were rowdier or laughed at dialogue or scenes where British audiences didn’t. I recall a few other actors mentioning this before in interviews, but it was always in reference to movies or TV shows. So I thought it was interesting to hear that these differences also show up in the theater, especially since you get the benefit of having that immediate reaction on stage. Also, I think he may have just had some rowdy audiences for Hamlet.

I couldn’t tell if Matt liked or hated the differences in audience reactions, but I could tell he did find it strange and interesting. 

He also told me about the differences in the previews process for theater in the UK is different. Now, I studied theater in London (academically), but I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to learn more about it from an actual actor, so I listened intently to his details. Apparently, in the UK, previews are for a very few performances, then the show is set and runs for X number of weeks. On Broadway (but perhaps not everywhere in the US), the previews can last up to 3 weeks, depending on the producer and theater company. I told him that I think the Off-Broadway theater productions may operate more like the UK theater industry. And the multiple weeks of previews seems more like a commercial Broadway thing, but I couldn’t be sure.

Then, I mentioned that I actually studied theater in London, but I immediately regretted it. Not because I’m ashamed or anything, but because I think he thought I was trying to impress him. So it just made me feel and look foolish. So I quickly moved on.

I told Matt that I really loved the NBC series, and I was devastated when it was cancelled because Hellblazer is my favorite comic book, and I thought for network television, NBC did a good job capturing the spirit and tone of the early John Constantine from Vertigo. To this, Matt frowned a little and said he understood, and that he’s happy to get a chance to play the character again. He knows it’s not quite the same on Legends as it was on the other series, but the role is such a pleasure to play.

Now this is the part that really stuck with me: Matt said he’s trying to work in a little more darkness to the character to make him more like the John from the comic books. It’s a bit difficult because the tone of Legends is very different, but he is working on it.

He also said that the hope is that if the season goes well, and fans really respond to Constantine, the CW hopes to relaunch the solo show on the CW network. That way, John can be more like the Constantine from the comics. 

To this, I was beyond ecstatic because I wasn’t sure if I could make myself watch Legends of Tomorrow just for Matt. The show is just a little too “high” for me. That is, it feels like all the other Berlanti-verse shows, where it has this very light, every show has a message, after-school special feel to them. I wouldn’t say “camp” but it treads a bit close to it at times, and I like my comic book TV shows with a little more grit to them. I am a DC comics fan after all. 

To that end, Matt quickly signed my copy of Dangerous Habits graphic novel. When I first set it down in front of him after walking over, he said, “Ah, my favorite one!” And I said “I know. Mine too.” I also let him know I wished his LoT Constantine could be darker, but I understood why he wasn’t.

While he was signing, I noticed he had a tattoo on the inside of his left arm, near the elbow joint. So I asked him what it said. He quoted the Polonius line from Hamlet: “This above all: To thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

It caught me off guard at first because I wasn’t expecting him to say all that. The tattoo is long, but I didn’t think it had that much text. Apparently it does. But when I said, “Excuse me” and leaned in because I didn’t catch all he said, he repeated it and explained where it was from. Of course, I recognized where it was from after I caught all of what he said. but I’m sure in his mind, I lost all credibility when I said I studied theater in London. sadly, the noise of the convention hall combined with years of headphones blasting music is starting to take their toll on my hearing. But it’s still a cool tattoo. 

Btw, if you have trouble reading his autograph above, it says: “Candy, Lovely talking to you, Big Love” 

OK. That’s it for now.

#constantine #matt ryan #legends of tomorrow #lot #hellblazer #vertigo comics #dc comics #theater #theater geek #thérèse raquin #broadway theatre #west end #american culture #british culture #comic con #hvff 2018 #hvff #new jersey #dctv #dc's legends of tomorrow

[noquirka-blog]

   oks........... here’s a gigantic headcanon dump about my most important aspects for deck so i dont end up reblogging everything like an idiot.

it is important to know that being bullied and not being able to become a hero are not the reasons why he’s resorted to villainy. well, supposedly they are supporting factors on why, but that’s not the initial reason. deck’s view of villainy, or at least how the media would perceive it, is someone who either a) does bad and/or b) has views that heavily contradict majority of society’s, and that’s what caused them to turn against it. though izuku can also fall under statement a ( despite his kill count; though this is something i’ll cover up further later ) he moresoever falls more under statement b. izuku’s views and perception of heroism, quirks, and how society portrays these two things SEVERELY counter society. and thus, villainy. all of his acts, all of his beliefs, they’re not made out of pure pettiness or want for revenge. he’s looked upon not only HIS own experience due to these things, but also studied other people’s experiences, and have therefore turned against society as a whole.

IZUKU COMPLETELY LIES ABOUT HIS QUIRK. HE DOES NOT COME OUT AS QUIRKLESS. he comes up with the fake quirk ANALYZE that gives him the ability to instantly know a person’s quirk at first glance, as well as the ability to speculate their weaknesses and strengths quickly.   the reason for this is for his belief that people only think people these days are extremely powerful due to their quirks.  people, though not all, seem to rely on them too much. 

with THAT important factor covered, let’s get more onto the specifics. 

IN TERMS OF BACKSTORY.

the basic timeline put into a brief statement would go in this order.

IZUKU AND KATSUKI ARE CHILDHOOD BEST FRIENDS. prior to gaining their quirks, although their relationship wasn’t exactly the best despite katsuki’s high pride, izuku and katsuki hold an EXTREMELY close relationship and have considered each other best friends at this time. that is until then, ruined completely when katsuki’s quirk arrives- completely ruining their friendship with katsuki’s head growing wider, and his view of izuku deteriorating due to his quirkless state.

IZUKU’S ATTACKED BY THE SLIME MONSTER. ALL MIGHT SAVES HIM. is then told that his dream of becoming a quirkless hero is unrealistic, and thus leaves his hopes and dreams crushed into debris. whether he helps katsuki in the attack is completely unknown, but is said that he has, though all might isn’t there to watch. katsuki is saved nonetheless by another hero though izuku was scolded for his reckless acts.   the complete difference that tears this AU apart from canon is all might does not approach him.  with that scene out of the way, the what if scenario takes its place.

IZUKU ENTERS U.A’S EXAM WITHOUT A QUIRK. and, of course, fails.one thing to note is, though, he does help uraraka when the robot arrives-- pathetically attempting to save her from the large piece of rubble that’s fallen on her. yet, despite his lack of a quirk, he wasn’t able to enter u.a at all, and was denied.

IZUKU, FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, ENTERS ANOTHER, NORMAL HIGHSCHOOL. but despite his depression cranking up, his mother advises him to skip a year at least. he does, but this is where the epiphany strikes him : questions like why couldn’t i be a hero arises, question on why everyone rejected him all because he was quirkless. the bullying, the discrimination, the constant underestimation, all because of this fact. all because of his quirk. not just him--- many others. stories of people actually killing themselves despite this, people forcibly driven into villainy just because their quirk was too ‘’villainous’’. people forced into marriages just for quirk amalgamations-- the statistics of more and more violent disasters ever since quirks’ arrival. the differences of crimes before and now because of quirks’ arrival. quirks made everything chaotic,or at least says the boy. it was his damn duty to erase it. not for his sake, but everyone’s.

IZUKU RAN AWAY FROM HOME WITH NO SIGN OF WHATSOEVER AT THE AGE OF 14. the only things he’s seem to brought are a few clothes and some of his notebooks. his mother went frantic, so did katsuki and his family, and missing posters were spread all around. but no one ever listened. and it seemed like only the two of them cared about the case more than anyone.   IZUKU, THUS, WAS DECLARED DEAD.  the cause of death was unknown despite never being found and not knowing how he’d die; though it was dubbed as suicide knowing the cases of most quirkless’ peers who resorted to suicide too.

IN REALITY OF THAT, IT WAS IZUKU SLOWLY DELVING INTO VILLAINY. he was a wanderer, at first, no exact place to stay. he’s killed at least two to three heroes, by complete accident or so he’d say. a complete rush of anger-- and this is where he realizes how heroism was corrupted, similar to stain’s ideals, though he sticks more closely to his original ones.

HE IS THEN FOUND BY KUROGIRI, AND THUS INVITED INTO THE LEAGUE.  but, instead of completely joining the league, he introduces himself as analyzer cleverly ( funnily enough, it was an impromptu decision right on the spot. ) who was a ‘ for hire strategist ‘. word got around about this strategist quick, and thus increased his reputation and he was able to interact with the villains more. take note that he doesn’t like them just as much as he doesn’t like the heroes. he was able to analyze about these heroes even more, and the same goes with these villains, widening his knowledge about quirks and whatnot. he studies more about the anatomy of quirks, how to counter them, finding a possible way to reverse them, and other helpful things. also given a place to stay, though isn’t exactly in the league’s premises, but is taken care by them and is nearby as well.

THE YAKUZA EVENTUALLY HIRES HIM AT ONE POINT. he then, carefully enough, manages to steal at least two to three quirk destroying bullets. he uses these to replicate them with the same purpose, though was only able to successfully make a few batches. with other research and resources from the league, he’s able to make his own version of quirk destroying bullets, though limited, and other serums that cancel the person’s quirk temporarily, nullifies the person’s limb to refrain them from using their quirk temporarily, penetrates an unexplainable pain throughout the victim’s body when shot, etc. 

AND WITH THIS, THE VILLAIN UNKNOWN RISES. at the age of fifteen, izuku was able to spread the name unknown across the media. unknown was given the title of the elusive ( hero ) killer, thanks to his quick escapes and unknown persona. he wasn’t caught by the media ( yet ) by face, but is known with his costume of plain clothing and a cracked al might mask.   unknown is given the title of the hero killer as his main targets are heroes--- but.  he kills heroes. not the person themself. he kills the hero by taking away their quirk permanently. there are only some instances wherein he manages to kill them fully, but that isn’t his true intention. however, he wasn’t given the full title of the hero killer as stain’s already taken it.

IDENTITY AS A VILLAIN.

izuku, as analyzer, is known to be cunning, enigmatic, and all in all strange. he was a respected icon throughout the villainous leagues, thanks to his intellect and fair power. despite being surrounded by adults most of the time, his tongue and dictation is far more advanced than a boy his age, meaning if one were to speak with him, he’d speak as if he was an adult, not a teenager. 

izuku, as unknown, is known to be a complete mystery. hence the given alias. he doesn’t speak much- but, when he does, it’s usually his ideals, similar to stain.

“ heroism.. its such a pretty word, isn’t it? but the beauty that it holds, the altruism and selflessness that it stands for, all gone.  it’s all molded into this fucked up business that you fools have turned it to, a competition to rank who’s the best when it shouldn’t even be ranked at all. everything about heroism is ruined. you sick fucks call yourselves heroes when you’re the very beings who’ve ruined it. it sickens me-- it saddens me.  “

his kind and gentle demeanor is crushed to his belief that if he continues to put up his old acts, he’ll only fall to his downfall. he needs to learn how to stand up for himself. the main idea is he’s almost killed his past self as he took it as a lesson that his old self has brought him nothing but pain.

though his entire identity as izuku isn’t erased. he’s stil nervous around girls his age, as to why he’s nervous when toga’s waaay too close to him and loses most of his composure and the ‘’’gentleman’’esque act. he sticks to his ideals way too close and is the main factor on why he’s reached this far. his high pain tolerance is also a factor to why he’s still standing, and to why he lasts longer in battles. izuku is still izuku, regardless that he’s a villain.

goes by several aliases, such as ...

ANALYZER : the name used when he addresses himself to villains.

UNKNOWN : the name given by the media and the name heroes know him by.

DORI : since he isn’t 24/7 doing his villain work, and his face isn’t known as a complete villain, he sometimes wanders around as a normal citizen and introduces himself with this name-- acting as if a normal fanboy to heroes, both building and pros alike.

he’s inhabited most of katsuki’s acts. if anything, he acts almost similar to him, as katsuki is a ‘’’twisted version of what he wants to become’’’, and since his assertiveness and determination is one of the things he used to admire about him, he ended up developing the same attitude, though knowingly terrible. he isn’t aware of this, though.

MISC.

izuku calls katsuki katsuki. not kacchan. though he holds no anger to him ( and all might ) he definitely doesn’t hold any affection or looking up to him anymore. the name ‘ kacchan ‘ is something he’d express with tenderness. he calls him katsuki to note their past friendship, but completely cuts off the tenderness he once held for him.

izuku is filipino-japanese. his mother’s side is filipino, his father japanese. he grew up in japan though and practices very little filipino culture. is able to speak bisaya and tagalog, but isn’t completely fluent.

izuku has asperger’s and bpd. asperger’s is diagnosed, but bpd isn’t.

izuku is anemic. this is thanks to his terrible health and how he takes care of himself.

#the ultimate headcanon post... #im so exhausted jKLSFM why did i build him up so much thi sis so funny #tenderness ! i've come to miss your warmth. #suicide m / #long post / #drugs m / #I NEED..TO UPDATE MY ACTUAL BIO BUT SJKFLMSKFJM #idk what i missed but ok

[jordoalejandro]

The Fifth Annual List of TV Shows I Saw the Past Year

This is another weird year for the list.

For one, a handful of shows are still on some kind of COVID related delay or hiatus.

Two, I dropped quite a few shows. Some I just bailed on because I had no patience to watch another season of them. Some shows I never got around to because I had an Apple TV+ free subscription that came with my iPhone and that ran out and I didn’t pay to renew it. (Here’s my quick review of Apple TV+: the quality of the shows is good but the quantity leaves a lot to be desired. You could probably pay for a month and binge through everything you have any interest in.)

Three, a lot of shows that I’m reviewing here have seasons that aren’t finished. They’re still going. Most are at least close to finishing. Some that have just started I’m going to wait on and review on next year’s list. But a handful of shows on this list are chugging along. I’m trying to factor that into my reviews but it's obviously a bit unfair to the shows. On the other hand, who cares?

So it’ll be a list with fewer entries, comprised of full seasons of shows and shows I watched most of. The list must happen, though. However it has to happen, it must happen.

Here’s the list of shows I’ve watched since the last Emmy Awards.

41. The Equalizer (Season 1 - 2021, CBS) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - The Equalizer is a fascinating show. You know how with some shows people will say the show is fully realized from the pilot? It’s usually presented as a good thing -- a show that knew what it was from the start and executed that vision. The Equalizer is that but in a bad way. It’s a show that from the pilot has felt like it was already in its tired ninth season, trudging along, writers and actors and everyone just going through the motions because they’re trapped in their contracts. There’s nothing fresh about this. No life to it. Uninteresting plots. Weak dialogue. Characters -- both heroes and villains -- that you’ve seen a thousand times (the nerdy IT expert, the troublesome teenage child of the main character, the generic good looking older white guy boss figure, blah blah blah). A show that’s already in late-stage syndication mode.

40. The Flash (Season 7 - 2021, CW) (Last year’s ranking: 49) - Speaking of late-stage syndication mode, The Flash has been in a creative tailspin for several years now. A big part of the problem is they just have no ideas left in the tank for villains on this show. This leads to them either reusing old ones (which doesn’t have a ton of dramatic impact -- we’ve seen The Flash beat all these people before), or digging through comic canon for the ones they have left (they’ve been unused this long for a reason). The other problem is it turns out running fast as a solution to every issue gets old very quickly. The producers must have felt this, and having gotten tired of telling Barry he has to run faster than he’s ever run before, they’ve switched it up and are now telling him to love people harder than he’s ever loved them before. Beyond the structural problems, the show is just not working on a very basic level. The writing has gotten super corny. The acting seems off. They’ve introduced new characters that are not working. The Flash had my worst rated episode this year and the weird thing was, it wasn’t even a mess of an episode. Like, functionally, it worked. It went from point A to point B and all that fine. But the problem was the titular Flash took off in the first few minutes of the episode to have sex with his wife on an island (not a joke) and didn’t return until the last few minutes of the episode. In between, viewers received a very boring, very boilerplate episode of The Flash, starring one of the new side characters it’s incredibly hard to care about. And she interacted with some even more to-the-side side characters and had some relationship issues with them and on and on until they inevitably saved the day in the end and it was so dull and so pointless that it made me say out loud, “What is this? Why am I watching this? Who could possibly care about anything that is happening on screen right now?” I felt that a lot during this season of The Flash. That was the only time I felt compelled to articulate it, but I felt it a lot. And that’s not a great place to be with a show.

39. Riverdale (Season 5 - 2021, CW) (Last year’s ranking: 50) - Here’s a little insight as to how stupid Riverdale can be. Between episodes three and four of this season (episode three was what would’ve been the season finale of season 4, which was cut short by COVID so at least it's not wholly random, in fairness), Riverdale did a seven year time jump. This seven year time jump landed them in the year… 2021. They shifted everything that happened in the first four seasons of their show, including dozens upon dozens of current day pop culture references, about a decade into the past. And why did they do this? So they could change a few things and then basically keep telling the same exact stories they were telling the first four years of this show. Just stupid nonsense. Stupid nonsense all around. Which, to be fair, I actually used to look forward to from this show. I’ve argued here that it’s at its best when it’s being as stupid as possible, but this year the nonsense just doesn’t seem inspired. They’re recycling some plots. The actors seem checked out. Maybe all the years of nonsense have finally taken their toll on them.

38. Batwoman (Season 2 - 2021, CW) (Last year’s ranking: 43) - Batwoman lost its main actress in between seasons, which obviously put it at a difficult crossroads. In my opinion, the wise thing to do would have probably been to recast as best as possible and carry on. Instead, the show chose to go a different direction and cast a new person to play an entirely new character. There was maybe a way this could work, but you likely have to retool the entire show to get there. Instead, they changed nothing but the main character and inserted her into the middle of the old character’s world, forcing her to have the same supporting characters and deal with some of the same storylines the old character was dealing with. This led to a lot of story beats where new Batwoman had to interact with old Batwoman’s family. What was in season one drama between Batwoman and her sister, or her father, became drama between the new Batwoman and this crazy lady she just met, or this guy she barely knows. As you might be able to guess, this added an air of “who cares?” to the proceedings. Also, the whole season essentially became an origin story for new Batwoman, which was a problem because that’s basically what season one of the show was. It wasn't super engrossing. That said, let me put aside the issues raised there. Having to recast your main actress is obviously a tough situation. They didn’t handle it well, but it was tough. Here’s why this show is still all the way down here on the list: bad execution. Week in, week out: bad plots, bad dialogue, dumb subplots, forgettable villains. A lot of the same issues that are plaguing The Flash. The show is simply not executing. It’s like these superhero CW shows don’t know how to do writers’ rooms over Zoom.

37. Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Season 2 - 2021, Freeform) (Last year’s ranking: 47) - I said last year I didn’t know if I liked this show or not. I think the fact that I’ve put it near the bottom of my list for two years in a row has answered that for me. It’s a kind of fascinating show in how, I guess… aimless it is. Floating from one scene to the next, one plot to the next, one episode to the next, no real driving force. A comedy that’s not really funny. A drama that isn’t very strong. A few good moments in a season of ten half-hour episodes. Would I have watched a third season? Yeah, probably. Not in a hate-watch way, but also not in a like-watch way. I’m glad it got canceled because it means I’m free of it. Would I recommend to other people any of the shows I’ve seen from Josh Thomas? No. Definitely not. Will I watch whatever Josh Thomas writes next? Yeah, probably. Though I can’t say why.

36. Soulmates (Season 1 - 2020, AMC) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - This was a short Black Mirror-esque anthology series that ran out of interesting stories to tell surprisingly quick. Like, third episode quick. This show’s problem is that, while Black Mirror has freedom to tell lots of different stories, Soulmates is restrained by its premise: a short time into the future a company creates a test that can match you to your soulmate with 100% accuracy. It’s not a bad premise, but you can sort of imagine how it would constrain the storytelling possibilities. The test matches you with someone surprising, the test matches you with the wrong person, etc. etc. The whole thing was only six episodes and it felt repetitive even within that small amount.

35. Debris (Season 1 - 2021, NBC) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Debris was created by J. H. Wyman, who did a lot of work on Fringe, one of my favorite sci-fi shows ever. Unfortunately, Debris was just a pale imitation of Fringe. The characters weren’t strong enough. The ideas weren’t intriguing enough. The episodes were often flat. They just didn’t have enough action or drama or horror or twists or whatever you might be hoping for from a show like this. They’d have a lot of walking around and looking at stuff and people talking about the stuff that was happening and then they’d kind of just peter out. A real disappointment.

34. The Walking Dead: World Beyond (Season 1 - 2020, AMC) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - You know how teenagers can often be the worst characters on a TV show? How they can exist just to act bratty and make really stupid decisions? Well, imagine a whole show of that. I’m half-joking. It’s not that bad. There’s some fun stuff and it works as a companion piece in this series of shows, but for the most part, it’s a lot of watching teenagers make really stupid decisions and almost getting themselves killed.

33. Stargirl (Season 2 - 2021, CW) (Last year’s ranking: 36) - Speaking of teenagers making really stupid decisions and almost getting themselves killed... Stargirl is a bit of a strange show. It’s kind of lighthearted, but also weirdly dark (more children die in this show than died in all the other shows I watched this year combined). It has some interesting characters and some absolutely ridiculous ones. Some fun episodes, but what also feels like quite a bit of filler. It’s not bad, it’s just also not great.

32. Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (Season 2 - 2021, NBC) (Last year’s ranking: 20) - The first season of this show was about a handful of things, but the big emotional throughline was about Zoey dealing with the impending death of her father, who had been diagnosed with an incurable neurological disease. While the other plotlines in the show could be hit or miss, there was always emotional meat on that bone, so to speak. Well, minor spoiler alert I guess, but her father died at the end of the first season from the aforementioned incurable disease. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the second season of the show really laid bare how important that throughline was to the whole thing. Without it, the show felt rudderless. There were a lot of pieces of plots but nothing really anchoring them the way her father’s storyline did. Plus, there was a lot more love-triangle stuff, which wasn’t the most original, compelling plot the first season and grew even more tiresome in the second. The show sort of became like late-stage Glee for me, where I stopped caring about the plots and just listened for the songs. That more or less worked with Glee because almost all the people on that show were excellent singers. It works much less on this show because maybe (generously) half the performers are good singers.

31. MacGyver (Season 5 - 2020-2021, CBS) (Last year’s ranking: 26) - It was a pretty weak final season for MacGyver. They abandoned some interesting storylines from last season in a disappointing way. In fairness, it’s because last season got shortened by COVID and I guess for whatever reason they couldn’t find a way to pick back up where they left off. But still, they had a tough time regaining the momentum after they lost it. The cancellation was without warning from CBS, too, so there’s no real conclusion to anything. Just an average season finale that suddenly became a series finale. Tough way to go out.

30. Bob's Burgers (Season 11 - 2020-2021, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: 38) - I was looking back at my episode ratings for this show from the last two years and realized they were pretty similar. Both last year and this year, there was only one episode per season that I thought was pretty good. There was also one episode each year I thought was awful. And then, basically, there were 21 episodes each season that were fine. Just fine. A few laughs. Nothing really engrossing. Worked well enough to keep me entertained and not much more.

29. The Walking Dead (Season 10B - 2021, AMC) (Last year’s ranking: 29) - The eleventh season of the show is currently on-going. That’ll be on next year’s list. This is just for a grouping of six episodes that aired earlier this year. They were extremely forgettable with the exception of two episodes. I enjoyed “One More” quite a bit and I really liked the Negan origin story episode: “Here’s Negan”. Probably one of the best episodes they’d done in years.

28. The Blacklist (Season 8 - 2020-2021, NBC) (Last year’s ranking: 39) - A slight improvement for this show from last year. A handful of average episodes, a few very good ones. A really fascinating choice made at the end of the season that makes me interested in seeing what next season will be like.

27. The Moodys (Season 2 - 2021, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: 46) - I described this show last season as “likeable if not particularly funny” and said if it was to come back, the writing would have to get sharper. That remains pretty accurate. The writing was slightly better, though not enough to make this a truly good show.

26. Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Season 1 - 2021, Disney+) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - This show was way too overstuffed to really work well, which seems a poor choice made in the writing process. It has like a dozen different ideas it wants to touch on and doesn’t really execute any single one of them in a satisfying manner. The real shame of it is there was a good show in here if they just chose to keep things simple. The best episode by far featured Falcon and the Winter Soldier going on a mission with Baron Zemo. That was it. They went to a shady bar of villains and did some spy stuff. Blew some stuff up. Fought some bad guys. That’s the show! Sticking with a core of that and cutting the 20-something unnecessary side characters would’ve gone a long way.

25. Archer (Season 11 - 2020, FXX) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - The show returned to its spy satire roots and started clicking again. It’s not at the level of its earlier peak seasons, but it’s still reliable for some good laughs.

24. The Great North (Season 1 - 2021, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Solid animated comedy from two of the writers of Bob’s Burgers. It obviously borrows a lot from the style and tone of that show. I do find The Great North a little fresher. The writing is a little sharper, the stories are a little more interesting (but it also isn’t in its 11th season like Bob’s Burgers so it’s not a wholly fair comparison). It slots in nicely with the other FOX Sunday animation shows.

23. The Simpsons (Season 32 - 2020-2021, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: 37) - I essentially write the same thing every year about The Simpsons. Some highs, some lows. I felt the quality of episodes this season, for whatever reason, was generally a little bit higher than last, thus it’s up here.

22. Duncanville (Season 2 - 2021, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: 34) - It didn’t make the huge leap in quality I was hoping for, but it was consistently above average this season, with a couple of flashes of excellence.

21. Snowpiercer (Season 2 - 2021, TNT) (Last year’s ranking: 14) - Decent second season for this show. Started a bit slowly but picked up in the back half. Sean Bean was a good addition to the cast. If it dropped in quality from season one, it might be because I liked this show as my stupid summer show and season two aired during the winter. High possibility this affected my opinion of it.

20. Chad (Season 1 - 2021, TBS) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - This isn’t a show for people who can’t handle cringe comedy. It lives there. And if the joke isn’t landing, which sometimes it doesn’t on this show, then you’re just trapped in a scene. But! But the jokes often do land, and when they do, they are very good. It’s also occasionally a touching show. The main character is a little dick, but the show also has a lot of sympathy for him -- he’s the son of immigrants trying so hard to fit in in middle school, to be what he perceives to be normal, in a battle with his own identity, in some of the most difficult years in a teen's life. You hate him but you also feel for him and want him to win. It’s a show with a little more depth than I thought it would have coming in.

19. What If…? (Season 1 - 2021, Disney+) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - You know how it is with anthology shows: you win some, you lose some. The show is better at coming up with concepts than executing them, I think. Episodes feel a little rushed (generally because they’re trying to tell a movie’s worth -- or sometimes multiple movies’ worth -- of story in half an hour) and sometimes they feel like they just end because they've reached their time limit. Overall though, it’s a fun way to just try different things in the Marvel Universe.

18. Family Guy (Season 19 - 2020-2021, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: 24) - I barely even write blurbs about Family Guy on these lists anymore. It’s very consistent. This is around where it ends up on every list.

17. Alex Rider (Season 1 - 2020, IMDbTV) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Fun fact: I watched this show as part of an online paid focus group thing. I’ll just tell you what I told the people who ran the focus group. It’s good. It’s sleek and well-made. It moves just a little too slow for a spy thriller but not to the point of being boring. The show does need a little more life though. Some more quips and liveliness. It’s pretty preposterous on a conceptual level. A teenager is recruited into MI6 to be a spy and save the world. Don’t play that too seriously. Everyone understands this is teenage James Bond, so be that. Lean into it.

16. Prodigal Son (Season 2 - 2021, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: 28) - A fun second and final season for Prodigal Son. They only did 13 episodes for this season so they got to do a little more long term storytelling and fewer cases-of-the-week (this show handles those well anyway so not necessarily a bad thing). The bummer is that the show got canceled without much warning so they didn’t get to wrap things up, leaving on not quite a cliffhanger, but a fairly open-ended note.

15. Legends of Tomorrow (Season 6 - 2021, CW) (Last year’s ranking: 11) - The only show on the CW that seems to be in control of what it’s doing. Not as good a season as last season, but still quality work. Good characters, funny, imaginative.

14. Fargo (Season 4 - 2020, FX) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - First time on a list for Fargo since the very first TV list I wrote in 2017. An impressive hiatus. I will say, I do think this was the weakest of the four seasons of Fargo. It took way too long to get the train rolling, though when it did, it got much better and delivered four really strong episodes at the end of the season. When it’s on, Fargo can fire on cylinders in storytelling and characters and dialogue that very few shows on TV can match up with. This season’s issue was that it took far too long to be on.

13. 9-1-1: Lone Star (Season 2 - 2021, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: 35) - I've really come to enjoy this show. I think this show found a groove in season two, putting out pretty consistently above-average episodes. It still has a lot of over-the-top silliness, but the characters are strong and most of the plots work.

12. Superstore (Season 6 - 2020-2021, NBC) (Last year’s ranking: 25) - Superstore was one of the few shows to incorporate COVID into their storylines in a natural way and manage to find humor in the situation, so bravo for both attempting that and succeeding at it. Behind the scenes, the show lost their main star, America Ferrera, at the start of the season, which should obviously have been a tough blow to take, but the rest of the ensemble stepped up and the show continued on without missing a beat in quality. Then, after filming nine episodes, they learned that this would be their final season, so the producers transitioned really well into endgame mode, crafting a strong backstretch of episodes to wrap everything up. I would guess with all the behind the scenes stuff and shooting this whole thing in the midst of a pandemic, this was the most difficult of the show’s six seasons to create. The fact that they were able to deliver such a satisfying finale through all of it is very impressive.

11. Fear The Walking Dead (Season 6 - 2020-2021, AMC) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - I’d say this season was not as strong as last, but I still found it very good, and generally more enjoyable in recent years than the original flavor Walking Dead. A fascinating story choice at the end of the season, setting up an intriguing seventh season.

10. Animal Kingdom (Season 5 - 2021, TNT) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Not the strongest season Animal Kingdom has had, but the show is still one of my favorites. This season is sort of about the characters searching for their identity in a new world, which is interesting in its own right but perhaps not as much as pulling off daring heists? I get the sense this season is doing some prep work in anticipation of next season, the show’s last. I’m predicting a very good final season.

9. American Dad! (Season 18 - 2021, TBS) (Last year’s ranking: 23) - A return to form for the show. Much improved over last season for me.

8. Love, Victor (Season 2 - 2021, Hulu) (Last year’s ranking: 5) - Just a minor step down in quality from the first season, I think mostly because the show lost a little focus. Season one was about Victor’s journey to self-acceptance and coming out, season two was more about dealing with the fallout from all that. There wasn’t a super-strong throughline. But still a very sweet show. Funny. Romantic. Very enjoyable.

7. Mr. Mayor (Season 1 - 2021, NBC) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - This show is going to be good. I’m calling it. It already had a very strong first season with one of my favorite comedic episodes of any show this year in 1.6 “Respect in the Workplace”. Tina Fey and Robert Carlock behind the scenes, a very good cast in front of the camera, this show is set up to become one of my favorites.

6. Mythic Quest (Season 2 - 2021, Apple TV+) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Mythic Quest is a fascinating show. For 90% of its episodes, it’s just a very good workplace comedy. And then, every now and then, it just uncorks a truly fantastic standalone episode. Season one did this with episode 1.5 “A Dark Quiet Death”. The show also released a quarantine episode called, appropriately, “Quarantine” that was probably my favorite COVID-related TV episode, one that should serve as a nice time capsule for this period at some point down the road. Season two was an improvement in quality overall from season one, and it also featured a tremendous two-part standalone story (episodes 2.6 “Backstory!” and 2.7 “Peter”). It’s a funny show with good characters and a surprising amount of heart.

5. The Other Two (Season 2 - 2021, HBO Max) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Great, great satire of the entertainment industry. Excellent characters. Fantastic writing. Often hilarious, but it also has some depth to it when it comes to matters surrounding the core family.

4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season 8 - 2021, NBC) (Last year’s ranking: 7) - It’s only appropriate that this show ends up here in its final season. I once wrote about this show that I was never excited to see it pop up in my DVR, despite really enjoying it when I actually got around to watching the individual episodes. This final season was essentially a bunch of very special episodes. The show felt it was obligated to tackle all kinds of important real world topics instead of just being a goofy sitcom. It didn’t really work and it made me once again unenthused about starting up an episode. And yet, the show’s actually plotting within episodes and joke-writing ability is so incredibly strong that once I started the episode, I found myself really, really enjoying it as always. The series finale is a great example. Super obvious character arcs, things you saw telegraphed from basically the beginning of the season, and yet, the episode was still pitch perfect. Hilarious and moving and exactly how you'd hope for a show to wrap up. Stuck the landing brilliantly. This was a show that always succeeded in spite of itself. In spite of its premise and its core identity. It succeeded because it was always one of the sharpest written shows on television. Its final season was no different.

3. WandaVision (Season 1 - 2021, Disney+) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - I really enjoyed the early episodes of this show, where they went to great lengths to capture the setting and feel of various past eras of television. They did an incredible job with the sets and costumes, and beyond that, even the writing was very good at aping the styles of the eras being portrayed. But as much as I enjoyed the early episodes, I really loved when the show took a turn and slowly unfolded into a piece about one character’s loss and grief. A tremendous second gear. A fantastic show overall.

2. The Mandalorian (Season 2 - 2020, Disney+) (Last year’s ranking: 2) - A tremendously fun show. Didn’t lose a step from season one.

1. Loki (Season 1 - 2021, Disney+) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Loved this show. Not just from a storytelling perspective. On that alone, it’s an excellent show. Some fun mystery stuff, some mind-bending stuff, clever, funny writing, great characters, solid drama. Beyond that though, I was just loving everything I was seeing and hearing on screen. The sets -- everything from the TVA headquarters to alien planets -- look amazing. The costumes are great. The music is superb. The show just had everything firing on all cylinders. It was brilliantly done.

So there we have it. Like I mentioned, some of these shows are still going on and have a few episodes left in their seasons. I might come back and do some light editing on this list if any of those shows do something truly surprising in a good or bad way in those final episodes but the likelihood is they probably won’t do enough to wildly change my opinion of them.

Or, if you’re reading this in the future, maybe I’ve already done that and that adjusted list is the list you’re looking at!

Wow.

Mind. Blown.

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Read More:

Annual Lists of TV Shows I Saw the Past Year

#reviews #Annual Lists of TV Shows I Saw The Past Year

[ik-sue]

Thoughts on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. so far.

After watching Tuesday’s episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I must say that i’m throughly impressed.  Through out the whole episode, my heart was pounding.  I can honestly say that Marvel’s Netflix show, Jesica Jones, has been bumped down to number two on my list of favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) properties thus far.  

Season 4 of SHIELD started strong with the introduction of the Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider, but near the middle of the season, it started to slow down.  Although I’ve been watching AoSHIELD since it came out, I can say that I never thought that they would do a huge comic book hero on the show.  Sure, they have Quake, and have done a few minor villains regarding Hydra, but never anything as big as the Ghost Rider. 

To give a general idea on the hype train for the show, if I remember correctly, the first teaser was shown at the end of Marvel’s Avengers in 2012.  The hype then came from the fact that agent Phil Coulson was some how still alive, despite Loki stabbing him in the heart during the movie; and that Marvel was expanding their cinematic universe to television.  The show was to air on ABC (which makes since since Disney owns both Marvel and ABC), where it has stayed ever since.  

The first season started off rather slow, as they had to introduce you to the whole of S.H.I.E.L.D., the characters, and the universe outside the movies.  As the season went on, the show continued to pick up steam.  Having crossover episodes to tie into the movies (specifically Thor: The Dark World) helped the show, but not by much.  It wasn’t until the release of Captain America: The Winter Solider  that the show really picked up it’s pace.  Of course, this was’t too hard to see, as the plot of the second Captain America film saw the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the re rise of Hydra in the MCU.  This obviously had a huge impact on AoSHIELD, as it has to do with SHIELD.

For the rest of season one, the show became better and better.  The earlier half of the season played and felt a bit like BBC’s Doctor Who, each episode was rather self contained, but had connective threads and story lines.  At that point, I described Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a better Torchwood (another BBC show, but a spin off of Doctor Who).  Critically, season one of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. did alright, but the biggest problem for the show’s continued success was that it’s slow start caused many viewers to drop off. 

Season 2 of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was better in almost every way. As far as the ability to engage in the show, it picked up the pace from season 1 a lot.  This wasn’t hard to do, of course, as the show’s premise was of a broken S.H.I.E.L.D., a dangerous Hydra, and, latter in the season, the introduction of the Inhumans (which are similar to the X-Men, but are more biased around family in the comics).  The latter was incredibly important, as one of the biggest flaws of the first season of the show was the lack of super powered characters.  Sure, we got the origin of Deathlok (a cyborg character who is practically a third rate character in the comics), but that wasn’t enough.  The Inhumans had great promise, as the Inhuman royal family are a rather big force in the comics, but there was one huge, glaring problem with this: at that point in time, Marvel had plains for a Inhumans movie.  

Because of the plans for a Inhumans movie, AoSHIELD couldn’t do anything really big with the Inhumans, especially being completely incapable of touching the Inhuman royal family (as they were for the then upcoming movie).  But the show was able to work with these limitations, as it introduced more new characters, and had drastic changes to some old ones (Cough cough Sky -er, Daisy).  Some characters, specifically Bobbi and Hunter, had potential with their own spin off show (as Bobbi is a hero known as Mockingbird in the comics) called Marvel’s Most Wanted.  It was also around this time that Marvel’s Agent Carter aired (during the mid-season break).  But, the Second Season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  was alright, but the show’s ratings were dropping.  Season 3 had even more potential to rectify this.

Season 3 continued plot points from Season 2, expanded on the lore of the Inhumans, and featured a rather memorable villain.  Quick spoiler alert, the character of Agent Grant Ward was introduced in the first episode of season 1.  He was one of the main characters, but, when Hydra showed it’s ugly face, it was reviled that Agent Ward was actually a member of Hydra.  He was a accruing villain in season 2, and the beginning of season 3, until the characters’ death during the mid-season finally.  However, he was rebirthed into the villain of Hive, who is a minor villain from the comics.  With quite arguably their best villain to date, the show had promise once again.  

This is probably a good time to mention the other things going on with the MCU at that time.  During the mid season break of season 3, season 2 of Marvel’s Agent Carter aired.  However, the since season one and two of the side show underperformed, ABC canceled Marvel’s Agent Carter.  Not only that, but season 3 of AoSHIELD saw the characters Bobbi and Hunter leave.  This was because there were plans for a spin off show, Marvel’s Most Wanted, which would star the two characters.  However, seeing that AoSHIELD was underperforming as well, ABC decided not to pick up Marvel’s Most Wanted.  Even more interesting, Marvel had teamed up with Netflix to make several exclusive shows, all of which have had great success.  As for Marvel’s plans for a Inhumans movie, well, they were shelved, but have been brought back in the form of a TV show. 

Season 3 of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. came and went, becoming better and better with each episode.  Then, during comic con, it was announced that the ever so popular Ghost Rider character would be debuting in the MCU, and, even better, that he would debut in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s fourth season.  Season 4 of AoSHIELD started very well, with a hugely popular character from the comics finally appearing, the first half of the season did very well.  Personally, I think it started to tank near the half way point, and, as Ghost Rider left during the mid season, the show started to lose steam.  The Second half of the season focused on the LMD (Life Model Decoys) from the comics, but so far, it seamed to be a so-so take on the comic book idea.  That was until Tuesday.  The episode from yesterday blew my mind, and was the best that the series has produced to date.  

The suspense of not knowing if someone was replaced with a LMD or not is executed extremely well.  As the show is on ABC, a channel well know for soap operas, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has had that feel through out its run, fluffing up episodes with character interactions to fill time.  But this episode, titled “Trust No One” featured only one real instance of that, but it was so well written, and so well implemented, that it didn’t even feel like such scenes had before.  Plus, the continued use of suspense including the massive reveal of the cliff hanger is amazing.  Plus, lets talk about that cliff hanger, as it is such a game changer for the show, that it truly blew my mind.

So, to tell you about it without spoiling it, a character named Dr. Holden Radcliffe (who was introduced late in season 3), has had two major roles: the introduction of the LMDs, and a little thing known as the Framework.  The Framework is a virtual reality, but on a whole new scale.  It’s a 1:1 replication of the real world, and can hold the consciousness of real people inside it, letting them live out their lives in a virtual world, even after their real body dies.  Several characters have been kidnaped, replaced with LMDs, and had their real consensus put inside the Framework.  However, Dr. Radcliffe wanted it to be a perfect world, and allowed each person to undo or do something from their past that they regret differently.  Lets just say that this has had drastic effects on not only the outcome of each character’s life, but the whole world, and what these changes are is such a change that it truly rocks the foundation of each character in the show.  

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had started off with such promise, but had lost it quickly due to a slow pacing and character rights being too expensive for a TV show.  However, as the show has gone on, it’s gotten better about each aspect, and now, it might be one of the best things Marvel has done in their MCU to date.  The episode was so good, it prompted me to write this after viewing it, and I encourage you, if you enjoy the MCU, watch the entirety of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..  sure, it starts slow, but the end result is defiantly worth it.

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