#the s4 sequence of their 'developing friendship' was what really put me off it. in some of those scenes g'kar says nothing. he's a prop. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

morningleaf24 · 2 years

Text

A note on Stydia

I think a lot of Stydia shippers consider Stydia to have the perfect build and development and they very perfectly grew to become a couple. But that's not true, Stydia is far from perfect. Stiles' interactions with her start off slightly creepy, which he does grow out of thank god. Season 2 is pretty nice in terms of Stydia, I feel like Stiles had a bit of closure when Lydia confessed her love for Jackson and everything. Season 3 was also pretty good, we saw them get closer. However, Season 4 kinda puts them on standstill. Lydia is mostly isolated this season and doesn't really work. Its fun to see her figure out her powers but its even better when there are other people. Season 5 is also a weird case, especially the first half. There is barely any Stydia interaction and I think it would have been nice to see them as good friends before moving to the second half. I'm a sucker for the Stydia scenes in 5B. But by then I was getting kinda tired of seeing Lydia in a hospital bed, like she is in the hospital three times this season like why. I love season 6A, it was nice to see Lydia's perspective on their relationship but it would have been more organic if they had built the two of them up as friends better. I have the same problem with Anne and Gilbert in s3 of Anne with an E. Seeing them as good friends would have made their final getting together that much better. Ahh I still love their kiss though its amazing.

So, Stydia is not perfect but it is the best developed ship on the show. By far. Like a lot. Scallison was basically love at first sight, which is fine but a bit boring. Scira was also like that a bit, with a little more build-up but eh. Stalia was absolutely adorable when they were together and they were exactly the kind of person the other needed at that point. Though we can agree that they had zero build-up but that was fine. It kinda worked. I did not think they would last but I hated how their break-up was handled. Stydia shippers who hate on Malia are brainless. Malia must be protected but she could probably do that herself. Plus I kinda shipped Malia and Kira, their personalities would clash in fun and amusing ways. Like when literal I-have-been-a-coyote-for-8-years Malia has to teach Kira how to relax in a social setting. I always felt like the writers never knew what to do with her after s4.

Sterek confuses me. I started Teen Wolf because of Sterek but I was extremely confused while watching. I had heard a lot about how Sterek was queer-baiting and stuff but honestly? No. Maybe outside of the show, the creators and cast definitely baited the audience but in the show itself? Absolutely not. Those two barely have positive interactions anytime during the show, its either a dream-sequence or a flash-back like what. Plus I find it very disturbing that people started shipping them when Stiles was 15 and Derek was a full-grown adult. Honestly even if he was 19 it would still feel iffy. It is not homophobic to not like Sterek. If you do then good for you! But I don't think you can say that it has any strong basis in the show itself. It is completely a fanon ship and I am honestly surprised that it even became so popular. It's like Zukka in a sense, not hinted at in the show but people still love it. Except I actually like Zukka. Ultimately I think Stydia is the best written ship simply because it doesn't really have any competition. In a show that is not very good at handling relationships, Stydia stands out for being built off trust, a long friendship and mutual respect. Ig people who ship Sciles could probably say the same though. The show literally ran on Stallision, Stydia and Sciles and nothing else.

#teen wolf #stiles #lydia #stydia #sterek #stalia #derek hale #kira yukimura #malia #stallision

10 notes · View notes

northbndtrain · 6 years

Photo

12 Monkeys / S4 / Episode 1: “The End” / Commentary

I meant to do this earlier in the week, not because I think a recap is needed but because I just wanted to put my thoughts down somewhere, but I was busier than I thought I was going to be. I also don’t know that I’ll be able to do this for 402 and 403, especially before the new episodes tonight, but here at least are my thoughts on the first episode of the premiere, including what I thought were highlights.

OPENING: The "serpent/demon" legend is told in voice-over as a group medieval soldiers chases down a group of robe-clad "heretics" and burns them alive for refusing to tell them where the "weapon" is. My favorite part of this sequence is that it features a young girl named "Chorus." Great name.

JONES RECAPS ALL OF THE HORRIBLE THINGS THAT HAPPENED LAST SEASON: Jones is close to death after being stabbed by Olivia in S3. As Hannah begs Cassie to save her, Jones flashes back to the events of the S3 finale, which is a really creative way of recapping exactly who killed whom, who saved whom, who has reason to be pissed at whom, etc. When Jones flat-lines, Cassie snaps out of her "eh, Jones deserves to die because she shot Athan" stupor and brings her back.

CASSIE/COLE SHOWDOWN: Cassie and Cole have a poignant discussion as Cassie packs her things in preparation for leaving. The scene is a good encapsulation of their different personalities and different reactions to the loss of Athan. Obviously, they're both grieving, but they're channeling that grief in different ways. Cole tries to comfort Cassie by reminding her that they did save Athan's soul, which is what he is choosing to focus on. For him -- I don't want to say that's "enough," because he's lost his son. Nothing would ever be "enough." But it's giving him something to hold onto at this point in time, and he needs that if he’s going to move forward with the mission, which is what he desperately wants to do. That mission, and Cassie, are all he has left.

But Cassie rightly points out that, yes, they saved Athan's soul, but that doesn't wave away the fact that something is now happening to her as a result of Athan's death -- she almost let Jones die, and as we will soon find out she is desperate to kill Olivia. She can’t focus on the mission or the increasingly nebulous idea of what “success” would mean because she’s self-aware enough to realize that she’s broken right now. Her reaction to Athan's death isn't necessarily "healthy" or "unhealthy,” or somehow “better” or “worse” than Cole’s reaction -- it is simply a fact. And nothing Cole can say can change it.

But neither can Cassie change Cole's desire to stop running so they can end this once and for all. For the moment, they're at an impasse. But it's not an artificial one dreamed up by the writers to create conflict. This is just who Cole and Cassie are.

DEACON'S NOT A HERO BUT SOMETIMES HE PLAYS ONE IN TITAN: Deacon (I LOVE HIM) is the one who has the idea to distract Olivia and her minions by blowing up one of Titan's towers, and then he's also the one to risk his life to execute the plan. Unfortunately, the explosion only convinces Olivia to use some of the other towers as nuclear weapons or something (”OLIVIA’S GOT HERSELF A DEATH STAR,” Deacon radios back to base), but it was nice to think that the team had a win for a moment, anyway.

THE FACILITY SPLINTERS: With Olivia about to incinerate Raritan with Titan's remaining towers, the gang prepares to splinter parts of the building and anyone inside those parts of the building at the time of departure. Of course, the minute it's revealed that anyone accidentally left outside the perimeter at the time of departure will be left behind, it's a given that at least one person will be. And that person, of course, is Deacon, because why not.

Things I liked about this sequence? Deacon's very human reaction when a desperate Cassie found him on the wrong side of the perimeter just before take-off. Instead of saying something self-sacrificing like, "It's okay, just go!" he quietly, brokenly, pleaded, "Don't leave me." Deacon's not a hero, really. He wants to survive. He clearly still cares about Cassie. In his mind, he went out into enemy territory to buy the gang more time, and now they're shoving off without him. So, yeah. He's got reasons to be so defeated in this moment, to say something almost nonsensical (his tone indicates he knows full well that they can't turn the perimeter off, but he begs anyway).

Things I didn't like about this sequence? That the last thing Deacon saw was Cole dragging Cassie away, because it seemed like an obvious way to try to increase Deacon's anger and resentment for whenever we next see him again. I just don't think that was necessary. But, then, I've always been uncomfortable with this "triangle" (as much as we can call it that), so any reminders of it put me off.

WHITLEY RIP: Whitley sacrificed himself to buy Jones time to fix the core so the team could splinter, and it was all extremely sad, especially when Jones sat next to him for the last time. I know there are a lot of characters on the show, but I wish we'd spent more time with him and he'd gotten more development.

MONTAGE TIME: Heartbreaking montage of Cassie, Cole, and the rest wandering around the desolate wasteland surrounding the Emerson Hotel, which is where they splintered. Everything about the sequence underscores the sadness of the team's situation: yes, they've survived, but for what purpose? Just to hide and mourn their losses and wait for Olivia to find them. As Cassie notes, they’re just running around in circles at this point.

FORTUNATELY, DR. ADLER IS STILL HERE: When Cole demands that Dr. Adler fix the core, Adler snarks, "We need another Adam Cell to kick-start it. To get one of those, you. need. a time machine!" Poor Cole. Every where he turns, there's another loop.

Adler isn't done. When Cole asks if Jones has any thoughts, the camera settles on Jones sitting off by herself and Adler replies, "None that she's willing to share."

JUST WHEN ALL HOPE SEEMS LOST: Great editing choices here, as we go from Cole trying and failing to rally the troops to action (he wants to fix the time machine and find Jennifer and figure out what the hell is up with these weird Ouroboros drawings that are now apparently a recurring feature in his life) -- a really miserable situation -- to...JENNIFER. A reminder that not all hope is lost.

A lot has been written elsewhere about this sequence, which follows Jennifer as she pretends to be the action hero she sees herself as in her head and steals the Ouroboros Puzzle from the museum. All I'll say is that I enjoyed it. I had seen the red-headed Jennifer in promo shots, and I just assumed it was another version of Jennifer from some other timeline. But the show managed to surprise me yet again. I LOVE WHEN THAT HAPPENS. And, fortunately, it happens a lot, because these writers are good.

Also, that shot of Jennifer turning away from the door to smile and laugh over her shoulder at the museum guard felt familiar to me, and I realized that it reminded me a lot of her first appearance in the pilot. I think it was even the same music cue.

(I also loved the museum guard declining to pursue Jennifer because the world is ending and he doesn't care enough to bother.)

COLE AND...HANNAH, APPARENTLY: The episode's cliffhanger is set up by a bit of weirdness, at least for me...Cole goes out exploring and he's joined by Hannah, who was apparently following him for some time before, not on anyone's orders, but because she wanted to make sure he didn't walk alone. And I just...find that weird? I didn't really know what to make of the scene. On another show, I would wonder if the writers were setting up Hannah having a crush on Cole, but this isn't that kind of series. The only other thing I can figure is that the writers simply want to build up this friendship (?) in preparation for Hannah playing a bigger role in this final season.

Anyway, there's not really time to dwell on that because the cliffhanger is Cole seeing his past self walking around with Ramse and realizing that the team has splintered to the final hours before his first splinter. And I was excited about that until I realized that this means the next episode will have Cole feeling guilty about Ramse. (I am over Ramse and over Cole's guilt. I realize that it makes sense for Cole's character to feel that guilt. I realize that this is the correct writing choice. But I am over Ramse. Period. Full stop.)

#12 monkeys #12 monkeys s4 #james cole #cassandra railly #cole x cassie #katarina jones #theodore deacon #jennifer goines #olivia kirschner #hannah jones #josé ramse #(unfortunately)#commentary #12m401

4 notes · View notes

themostrandomfandom · 7 years

Note

Hi! How would you personally rank the seasons of glee from your favourite to your least favourite & why?

Hey, @sitandsingtoyou!

Since I watch Glee almost exclusively for the Brittana, it’s probably no surprise that their narrative treatment is the single biggest factor that determines how I feel about any given season.

If Brittana have a prominent, well-wrought arc from season premiere to season finale, then chances are I’ll like said season no matter what shenanigans are going on with other characters or storylines.

The same is also true in reverse.

That said, for the purpose of answering this ask, I also considered factors like the overall storytelling (beyond the Brittana of it all), the music, the presence of any standout episodes, general cohesion, etc., when making my rankings.

The final list appears after the cut.

WARNING: Here be strong feelings about Glee and more than a little bit of negativity about its writing and production. Note that the views expressed in this post are the author’s personal opinions based on her preferences, and they may very much differ from your own.

___________

In order from favorite to least favorite:

S6: As I discussed in this post, in addition to providing our girls with the happy ending they always deserved, S6 offers much of the best-written, most fully-developed, adorable, emotional, poignant, and narratively-satisfying Brittana we get throughout the series. We’re talking fanfic quality stuff, and not just in bits and pieces here and there but basically across the board in every episode in which Brittany and Santana feature. While there are a few things I’d change, on a whole, I can’t think of a more enjoyable canonical culmination to Brittana’s journey. As for the non-Brittana stuff, while there are, admittedly, some really low lows—many of the middling episodes of the season are an affront to screenwriting—there are also some suprisingly pleasant turns. Don’t tell anybody, but I actually love most of the New New New Directions and find the storylines that focus on them (as opposed to the adults of Lima and alumni advisers) kind of delightful. While the series finale itself somewhat underwhelms me, the flashback sequence at the end of episode 6x11 totally makes me cry. A lot of this season is about getting back to what made Glee fun and likeable in the beginning: good tunes, camp gags, and stories about a ragtag group of underdogs overcoming adversity through love and music. In general, I feel like S6 does a nice job tying up the loose ends for glee club members old and new and fulfilling the main thesis of the show (“Something is special because you are a part of it”).

S2: Brittana’s S2 storyline is one long, amazing roller coaster ride of emotion. It’s hard to describe exactly what it felt like watching it all play out for the first time as the episodes were originally airing; I hate to use the word “special” because it sounds so quaint, but it’s kind of the only term that really fits. Because the “Sex is not dating” line in episode 1x13 was initially treated like a one-and-done deal, going into S2, no one in the fandom really expected to see a fully developed Brittana romantic storyline—and yet that’s exactly what the Back Six gave us, and each successive Locker scene brought elation, heartache, fear, hope, and continued anticipation. Nothing beats S2 Brittana angst, and especially not the Hurt Locker, which is far and away the ship’s pièce de résistance. Then beyond the Brittana, the rest of the season is generally high quality, at least as far as Glee goes. There’s some nice tongue-in-cheek comedy, iconic scenes, and heartfelt character development, plus episode 2x19 is one of the show’s musical high points overall. As always with Glee, some pitchy moments sneak their ways in and a few episodes beg to be forgotten, but for the most part S2 is Glee in its stride, and it’s held up well over time.

S1: Since Brittana are not yet main characters, they don’t have a main text S1 storyline, per se. Still, when you fill in the gaps, there’s a lot going on with them on a subtextual level, enough so that rewatching S1 knowing what will eventually happen in later seasons will provide a strenuous cardio workout for any serious Brittana shipper. There’s plenty of excellent Heya improv to go around, and the classic “Brittana on the back row” can’t be beat. Plus, Brittana’s mini-arc with Finn between episodes 1x14 and 1x15 is heartbreaking. Still, the reason why I rank this season so highly has less to do with Brittana in particular than it does with overall quality: Simply put, I think that Glee had a better idea of what it was about during the first thirteen episodes of S1 than it did throughout much of the rest of the series. While later on the show would struggle to balance comedy and drama, realism and camp, trying and failing to be all things to all people, in the beginning, it was just an earnest, theatrical little show about nerdy choir kids trying to find their places in the world, and it didn’t take itself too seriously. Though many of the S1 storylines were schlocky—hello, fake Schuester pregnancy!—there were more than enough heartfelt performances and excellent character moments to balance them out. For instance, for as much as I generally dislike Finn, the “I’ll Stand by You” scene in episode 1x10 is so well done on every level. Whatever Glee became in its later seasons, in S1 it was at its core still good. It hadn’t forgotten what it was all about yet.

S3: Now we’re getting to the bottom of the barrel. I rank S3 fourth on my list not because I really enjoy it all that much but because it’s less terrible than S5 and S4, at least imo. The season’s biggest issue is that it’s all over the place in terms of quality. Sugar was a blessing, but Rory not so much. Likewise, on the Brittana side of things, there are some really high highs—our girls officially start dating! they share their first on screen kiss! they have a fabulous time at their senior prom together!—but there is also the giant bugbear that is Santana’s “coming out” arc, which is awful on so many levels. The writing and characterization for Brittany and Santana vacillates wildly throughout the season. In some episodes, like 3x04 and 3x13, it’s really great. In others, like 3x16, it’s utterly headache-inducing. And it’s not just our girls who suffer from spotty writing throughout the season; Quinn’s storyline is a complete mess, and Sue is an unbelievable Yosemite Sam caricature of herself whose exploits are so exaggerated that they make it virtually impossible to suspend one’s disbelief enough to enjoy her scenes. While the Troubletones are a musical highlight for the whole series—and the “Rumour Has It/Someone Like You” mashup is the best musical performance in all of Glee, hands down—a good soundtrack doesn’t make up for some of the season’s more glaring deficiences, and especially not the way Santana’s storyline was treated both inside and outside the universe of the show. Though there are a handful of S3 episodes I will rewatch for my own personal enjoyment, there are many that I’d prefer not to recall. S3 was the first season of Glee to bring in new regular writing staff beyond RIB, and with all its inconsistencies and the disuniform quality of the episodes, unfortunately, the inexperience really shows.

S5: With the exception of episodes 5x12 and 5x13, I hate almost everything about S5—and, yes, that includes the majority of Santana’s NYC episodes. I get that Heather Morris was largely off the show during this season, so it’s not that I blame TPTB for pairing Santana with Dani or making her Hummelberry’s sidekick. It’s just that it breaks my heart watching Santana repeatedly throw herself against a brick wall as she tries over and over again to win Kurt and Rachel’s friendship and trust, always to no avail (see here and here). In theory, Hummelpezberry could have been a really fun brot3—god knows that myriad fanfic authors have been able to pull it off to great effect—but in canon it never really worked, largely because the writers were reluctant to stop using Santana as a convenient heavy whenever they needed to generate synthetic conflict in an episode, even though she had long since ceased to function as an antagonist in terms of her narrative arc. While there were plenty of zingers and jaunty musical numbers in the Loft, I could never really enjoy them because the happy times never lasted. Santana was made to feel like an outcast in her own home, and for someone who loves that character as much as I do, it hurt to see her feeling so lonely and ostracized. Once she ran off into the sunset with Brittany, things took a turn for the better. Still, there were really only a handful of bright spots overall. Anyone who’s read TKTD knows that my second favorite ship on Glee is Samcedes, and I did truly enjoy the cute little romcom that was their 5B storyline. I also loved the Sancedes and later Brittanacedes friendship moments on the tail end of the season. But in general, everything felt strained and disjointed, and my ultimate sense is that the tragic early loss of Cory Monteith proved an insurmountable hurdle for the season’s creativity and writing direction on a whole.

S4: I liked the production of Grease, but otherwise this season was one long fail from start to finish, and there is not a single episode out of the twenty-two that I at all care to revisit. Though I’ve been able to rationalize and justify and meta my way through the Brittana arc, doing so is just more intellectual and emotional trouble than it’s worth. Throughout S4, the depiction of every established character including our girls seems OOC, some to an incredibly noticeable degree. Sam Evans, whom I loved in S2 and S3, absolutely gets trashed, going from a goofy, lovable dork to idiot Finn Hudson Version 2.0. Episode 4x04 represents one of the worst and most misguided writing decisions I’ve ever seen made on a primetime TV show. That a group of professional screenwriters would sit down and say, “Let’s break up three of our flagship couples not for any good or compelling narrative reason but simply because we want to ‘spice things up’ and see how our heavily-invested, emotionally vulnerable, primarily teenaged and young adult audience reacts!” boggles the mind, as does the fact that they were then surprised when their viewership numbers dropped off dramatically thereafter. I do want to say that I liked Marley Rose, Unique Adams, and Kitty Wilde, though I otherwise found the New New Directions kind of meh. Overall, this season is the one that seems to stray the farthest from Glee’s original premises and spirit. There isn’t much that’s fun, triumphant, or satisfying. There’s just a lot of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, cultural insensitivity, bad writing, and miserable story arcs in scads.

Thanks for the question!

#Crazy Brittanalyst answers #sitandsingtoyou #I also have another ask from you plus ones from deleteee and tryingtoohardddd #which I'm working on slowly but surely #though it may take me a while since this week is a busy one for me outside of the internet

21 notes · View notes