#they really are gonna have something that connects every ep aren't they

[starseneyes]

Chenford REWIND- Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 3 Ep 09

"Amber" AKA Littering is Worth It

There's a fairly decent chunk of Chenford in this one (which sounds like an ingredient list or some kind of cat food, out of context). So, I'm excited about tackling it with y'all!

SPOILER ALERT: If you love to read something vague with few details that gives nothing away... You're in danger, here. I will be spoiling absolutely everything Chenford related in this episode, plus going back in time. I do try to write these as though I'm watching them for the first time, so there'll be little-to-no future talk.

Alright, everyone ready to dive in? Let's go.

"Is Tim gonna do anything special to memorialize your last shift together?"

Torture her. Throw her off a roof. Slip glass into her boots. I mean, that's the first place my mind went when I thought about Tim planning anything as a ceremonial "rite of passage" for Lucy.

"Not knowingly. You know, when you move on from an important relationship there are steps you should take to ensure a healthy parting."

Awwww. Our babies are in a relationship!

Look, I know they aren't exchanging knowing glances in Roll Call or doing the horizontal mambo while Kojo awkwardly pretends not to watch, yet. But, Lucy sees what they have as a relationship, not just a hierarchy, and I love that about her.

Lucy connects people. Look at Lucy, Nolan, and Jackson. Lucy is the common denominator in this OT3. And much as Tim has tried to fight it, he and Lucy have a very real connection.

No, they're not about to start ripping each other's clothes off. But they are friends. They do care about each other. They've built an incredible trust that they will need if this ever goes further.

"We are going to work through every single one of them." "How, if he doesn't know you're doing it?" "Trickery!"

I see you, Lucy Chen. Trying to manipulate and trick your boyfriend because pranks and kinda one of your love languages, the pair of you. That and competition. (And we'll hafta wait to see what else, but yowza, we can imagine).

Also, I love that she thinks he won't pick up on what she's doing. Now, we'll see later in this episode that Tim doesn't pick up on everything, but he's not a dolt.

However, I love the foreshadowing about Lucy using "trickery" with Tim. It just comes out in a way she didn't expect.

"It's our last shift together. It's crazy, huh?" "Not really." "Come on. We've been riding shoulder-to-shoulder for over a year, now." "Soon there'll be a new Rookie sitting in that seat annoying the crap out of me for 12 hours a day." "So, you're not gonna miss riding with me? At all?"

Lucy is starting the list. Tim's trying to treat it like just another day. Because, come on, he's going to miss her. We know he is. Season 3 is the era of Tim and Lucy being friends.

It's been over a year, now, of the two of them riding together. In this year, they've learned a lot about one another. Partly because Lucy talks a lot, but partly because they really do care about each other.

Tim's being "Tim" about it. Putting up a front, dismissing it, and reminding her that this is a rotating position. Right? Rookies come and go from his Shop. Nothing special about this one.

But we all know there is. Lucy has walked through the fire with Tim in ways that no other Rookie has, and he's bent the rules in ways he never would for any other Rookie.

There's something in them that wants to take care of the other, protect the other, watch out for the other. Even when they're hot-headed and losing their tempers, it's underscored by the fact that they care about each other.

This bond is not yet romantic in nature, but it is strong and it's undeniable. But even they wouldn't know what to call it if asked. It's unspoken, and that helps keep it comfortable enough for Tim to accept.

"It's a job, not Happy Hour." "Denial. Check."

How much do I love that Lucy knows Tim is denying that he will miss her? That means she knows in her heart of hearts that Tim will miss riding with her, just as she will miss riding with him.

They've become constants in one another's lives. Yes, Tim has had a rolling Shop of Rookies for years, now. But Lucy's exceptional in so many ways, and I tend to believe he's never respected a Rookie at the end of a run the way he does Lucy.

She's made of stronger stuff. And yet she's still a ball of sunshine.

Others would have lost themselves entirely in all of that. Yes, Lucy bears the scars in her heart forever. But, she never let it kill the light within her. It was only dimmed for a while.

And on the other side of her rescue, Tim was still Tim. There were times he barked at her, called her out on mistakes, and got under her skin. But every day in this Shop and outside of it has brought them closer together.

"What?" "Hmm?" "Nothing."

Nothing is never nothing, Lucy Chen! I've said this a lot, especially in my Season 5 reviews. But, I've never seen a case on this show where "nothing" actually meant "nothing".

"Do you see yourself as my mentor?" "No. I'm your TO. It's my job to make sure you're not dangerously incompetent when you hit the streets without supervision tomorrow."

This is the perfect job for Tim of this era. He puts in his time on the streets with his Rookie. He clocks out. He goes home.

And after the one time in the Service when he, in Lucy's words, "showed compassion" and someone got hurt, Tim wants to make sure nobody else makes a bad judgment call like that.

In this way, constantly training other Officers allows him to make the streets better, safer, and smarter. It's his way of dealing with his own conscience, almost.

Mentorship implies more of a relationship and less of a hierarchy. Tim and Lucy are on opposite sides of this, and I don't mind. This is part of the journey that makes them so much fun to watch—Tim and Lucy start almost at polar opposite points and find a way to stay true to who they are while gravitating toward one another.

"You know, when I was a Rookie, I couldn't wait to get off probation."

Look at Tim Bradford giving her a tiny insight into himself. Careful, your "friendship" is showing, Timmy, my boy.

But, seriously, I love how casual this little reference is into his emotional state of being on this same day in his career. Often, Lucy has to lead him into talking about the past with questions or comments. Here, he freely offers that morsel of information.

It may not seem like a lot, but back when they first started riding together, he wouldn't have bothered telling her how he felt about anything.

"Oh, I am excited. Believe me. But I also know the importance of acknowledging your loss when going through something like this." "'Acknowledging your loss?'... What is this, some 'Intro to Psych' closure BS?"

The disdain in his voice. Of course, you're gonna fall in love with this girl. It's inevitable. Just wait and see.

Because he doesn't have a lot of love for Psychology, and that was her whole major. In real life, of course, we need some mix of the two of them in our lives to keep us from spiraling out with all the facets of psychology on our own while simultaneously maintaining an open enough mind to accept help when needed.

Lucy and Tim come at things from different angles, but they're both looking for the answers, in their own way. It's best when they work together—which they've learned... for the most part.

"It's not BS. It's a widely used psychological model to help people cope with the end of a relationship." "Relationship?" "Partnership. Mentorship. Whatever you want to call it." "Look, I don't want to call it anything."

What I find supremely funny (and telling) is that much as Lucy tries not to label the romantic relationships in her life, Tim really doesn't want to label his relationship with Lucy at all.

Even the one time she got him to kinda admit they were friends, it was only because he didn't refute it. But Lucy is processing it her way.

Remember, her car was the only place she felt safe after Caleb. Touchstones and constants are as important to her as they are to him—but he doesn't look for them in his work. Lucy looks for them everywhere. That is where they differ.

But, oh, how fascinating how blurry the lines could become with these two. Even in this episode it gets... Complicated.

"It's not like you won't see me tomorrow at the station, you know? What's there to talk about?" "A lot. I have a list." "A list?"

The words have barely left his mouth when he snatches that thing and yeets it out the window where I imagine it fell into the lap of a person sitting on the curb who really needed that list to help them process the loss of their beloved cat.

What? The List could have its own fan-fiction tab on AO3, for all I know!

"You know, littering is a $250 fine." "Worth it."

My husband and I were rolling (He happened to be over my shoulder when I watched this scene).

Tim wants to avoid this so much, he's willing to do whatever—even incur a fine for an offense caught on police cameras. But Lucy knows Tim way too well.

"What are you smiling about?"

Grumpy, you have met your match in Sunshine. Lucy pulls out a backup and opens it, making me wonder if there's a third hidden somewhere... just in case.

Look at how his eyes land on the paper and his face just falls in disbelief. And Lucy is deservedly smug.

"Well, we were at denial, but now we have moved to anger. Progress."

Love them. Like, that was the only thought in my head when I saw that moment.

Not a deep analysis of how Lucy's so in-touch with Tim's state of being that she knew he'd be mad, and also that he can't even enjoy being mad because she's making that part of her bloody list... I just thought, "Love them."

"Let me guess, you think if the parents had properly worked through their separation this whole thing could have been avoided?" "No. Mom needs to get as far away from him as possible. But I do think that having easier access to counseling and mental health resources could prevent situations like this."

As a country, we really don't understand the value of mental health. I have story after story of things that have come up in my own life where I was told to delete comments about my mental health, to not share what was going on with me, and to pretend I never struggled.

As I deleted one line, I remember thinking, "This is why they always say, 'but she was so happy'". We're not allowed to be unhappy. We're not allowed to be hurt. We're not allowed to admit that we're struggling. Because we're supposed to live up to an expectation of unattainable perfection.

Lucy isn't wrong, is all I'm saying.

"Sure, but most guys still wouldn't go."

This is also true. Lucy outlines it below, but I'll say I've witnessed this in my own life. Men in my life whose families told them that therapy was either unnecessary or unhelpful because it was "weak" to see a therapist. Let me tell you, I have seen men's lives change via therapy. But we have to stop the stigma for it to have wider reach.

"Yeah, because we stigmatize mental health, treat it as less important than physical health. It's ridiculous that they teach sex ed in schools, but not how to be in a relationship."

Eh, I had a lot of folks telling me how to be in a relationship growing up that absolutely didn't pan out. I've got stories, folks.

But, I hear her on the fact that mental health isn't taught when sex ed is. And sex ed in school is rubbish, too. At least, it was at my school in the Bible Belt.

"I wish someone taught me how to be in this one."

Timothy Bradford! Did you just admit that you and Lucy are in a relationship?! EEE!

Look, we all know that they're not ready to jump each other's bones, here, but ending their "mentorship" relationship opens up some possibilities. Not all the possibilities... but we are decidedly on our way.

Because, once again, Lucy has cracked the surface of Tim's hardened shell. Even with his closest friends, he can be closed-off sometimes. We see a huge shift in him in S3 that shifts even further into S4 just in his personal relationships.

But S3 Tim still has a lot of walls up. And keeping his life boxed out helps him get through it. If he mixed and muddled the boxes, he might have to actually face some of his trauma. And he's not ready for that.

"Oh, so we are in a relationship?"

Tim's look back is amazing. Like, "are you kidding me right now?"

Look, she gets under his skin (and he gets under hers), but now it's fun. Like, neither of them is going to admit it at this point, but it's fun!

There was a guy in High School that I had a huge crush on. Duncan McFaddyn. Dumbest crush I ever had, but I liked him. And we were so good at arguing. I liked arguing with him. It was fun.

Tim and Lucy like arguing. Not the big, explosive fights they sometimes have. But those moments where they are on opposite sides of an issue, still get along, but want to needle each other. It's a part of their rhythm.

"Look, you need to get your head right in case this goes bad." "I"m squared away." "The fact that you just said that means you're not." "Look, you've been lucky on the job so far-"

Look. At. Her. Reaction. And he realizes immediately what he said. He wasn't thinking about what happened with Caleb, because it was after-hours. But facing Rosalind after? That was on the job, and planty of horrible other things have been, too.

But, let's be real, it's not like any of this has been a cake-walk.

"No. Alright. I'm sorry. That, that came out wrong."

Love this growth for him. Tim is actually apologizing to Lucy, and owning up that he misspoke. Well done, Tim.

"You've been through hell. Stuff that would've broken a lot of veteran cops."

He holds her gaze on that. Because he needs her to know he respects her. He needs her to know that what she's done is mighty. He needs her to know that he holds her to a higher esteem.

Tim of S1 had no idea what Lucy would be up against. It's only been a year, and he's seen her up-close. She's a badass.

"But a dead kid is different. A dead kid changes you forever." "I really hope our last shift together doesn't end with that." "Yeah, me, too."

You can see the pull at Tim's lip into a frown. Because, he's been there. He knows how that feels. And he never wanted to feel it, again, but today there's a very real possibility he will. And Lucy will, too.

Much as she gets under his skin, he doesn't want her to be changed by that. She was changed by her survival of a serial killer. Something he'd never wish on anyone.

He couldn't spare her that, but he wished he could... and he can't spare her however this goes... but he wishes he could. And much as he wouldn't admit it, I think he was starting to get a little scrambled in his head, too, as he thought about that.

Time to cleanse their minds.

"Okay, so what's next on your list?"

He leans into Lucy's latest distraction, much like he did when asking her to share her plans for sabotaging her ex's wedding. Tim told her then that she needed something that made sense, that was tangible, that they could grab onto.

Yes, Tim "grabbed onto" the first version of the list and chucked it out an open window. But, thank goodness Lucy came prepared.

Except this time she knows what he's doing. Look at the way she looks at him before reaching for the list. She knows what he's doing, and she's going with it.

"Okay. 'Surround yourself with people who support, value, and energize you.' Which... may have to wait until later."

I love how sharply he looks to her. Like, "really? I don't fit the bill?!" He's actually surprised by that, and I think it's kinda cute.

Tim isn't exactly a warm-and-fuzzy person. But there's something fascinating in him that connects with the people he cares about so they know without a shadow of a doubt that he does. Lucy knows.

But, yeah, she's not going out partying with Tim tonight after her last day as a Rookie.

"Then, uh, 'Reflect on the lesson learned, both the good and the bad, and express gratitude.'" "Okay. So, what have I taught you that you're grateful for?" "Umm. Hmm. Not to second-guess myself."

Tim nods, like, "Yup. That's the one". Because that's always been Lucy's biggest problem.

He's likely thinking of his original Plain Clothes Day review... and today's. But we'll get to that later.

"Yeah, early on one look from you could send me into a tailspin." "Plain Clothes Day." "Mm."

I swear, I didn't remember that Plain Clothes Day was mentioned almost the next second. But, they both know that was a rough one for her.

And look at his grin. As a TO, Tim's just a touch sadistic. I mean, he did take pride in being the guy who scared Rookies off.

And I get that, for him, it's about weeding out those who don't have what it takes. But, I'm also so thrilled for all of Tim's growth as a character.

"But I've learned to trust my instincts, even if they go against what you would do, which will be crucial for Under Cover work." "You serious about being UC?" "Yeah. Why? Do you think I'm not tough enough?" "No, it's not about being tough. I mean, look, you're as tough as they come."

Heck, yeah, she is! Tim is laying on those compliments today. Wow. And I don't think he's doing it consciously. They both know that this is their last ride, and much as Tim's pretending he doesn't care... we know he does.

On her last day, he's not barking at her about what she doesn't know. He's not issuing Tim Tests. He's not reminding her that he still has a final review to write where he holds her fate in his hands.

He's telling her how amazing she is. Tim doesn't say, "you're amazing. You're fantastic. You're sensational. You're golden."

But when he held her in his arms on the other side of that barrel, he did say, "You're so strong." He says it his way.

Today it's, "You're as tough as they come." Tim is telling her in his way that she is amazing as a cop. And that is huge from Tim.

You have to know how to read between the lines with S3 Tim. Lucy's still learning. Much as she knows, there's still a long way to go. And that's part of what makes this whole relationship so damn compelling to watch. They're always peeling back layers.

"It's just you're... sensitive."

He was searching for that right word, and almost smiles on it. Much as he isn't ready to admit it, it's something he likes about her. He hasn't had a lot of women in his life that weren't tough-as-nails. Someone who has so much sensitivity and sweetness... but can also be tough-as-nails? She's her own class of human.

But Tim's worried she's lacking something she needs for UC. And that's truly where this comes from—concern.

"You are. Look what happened with Tamara. You gave her your car, for crying out loud. And today, today this whole need to relive the last year, talk about our feelings." "I happen to think that caring about people, connecting with them, is what makes me a good cop." "It does."

Yowza, he's complimenting her a lot today! But... this one isn't sweet. it's bitter. Because Tim's looking at it as a weakness much as he thinks it's her strength.

"Just not a good UC. Look, to work Under Cover, you have to be able to lie to someone's face, make them believe you're their best friend, and then stab them in the back. I just don't think you have that killer instinct."

Because he's measuring everything against the folks he knows. Nyla. Angela. Isabel.

All the people who went UC that he's known weren't as compassionate and "sensitive". So, he's not convinced that Lucy can do it and he's trying, again, not to set her up for a bad experience.

"I'm sorry, but it's better you hear it now."

He thinks he's looking out for her. He truly thinks he's doing what's best for her.

Remember how I talked about perspective in another Meta? Tim's made the excuse that because he has been shoulder-to-shoulder with Lucy for a year, and that he has seen multiple UCs in action (and married one), that he knows what's best. Big mistake. He is trying to help her see her blind spot (which is really his).

But, instead, he threw down the gauntlet. And Lucy Chen is ready for it.

"And I appreciate your honesty. You always tell me the truth, no matter how painful it's gonna be. And you deserve the same from me."

He was nodding up until that last part. And, I'm going to be honest, I've only ever watched this scene once before. So, rewatching this and analyzing it is an act of love for all y'all.

Look, I don't like to watch horror movies, right? But I once wrote a Pilot that started with a woman being literally split in half, and I wrote a detailed description of blood, entrails, etc. Same with awkward/uncomfortable scenes. I can write them. I can read them. But watching them, I feel everything in the scene.

I don't know if it's my former life as an actress, my overall sensitivity as a human, or how amazingly these actors perform it, but I don't like watching the discomfort of this scene. I know all y'all love it. Because, it's bloody delicious. She turns it all around on him, and this scene is needed for so many reasons (which I'll get into later).

But I hope you know I love y'all to be watching this, again. It's paused and my blood pressure's already up.

Also, can we talk about how clueless Tim is right now? Lucy just said that the number one lesson she appreciates is how she's learned not to second guess herself, even if it goes against what Tim would do. That should have been his first clue that something was up.

But his pride got in the way. And Lucy knew it would.

"I've been struggling with being honest with you all day. I've been hiding behind this stupid closure checklist trying to get up the courage to tell you something." "Okay? What?"

Now he's starting to get worried. What's wrong with Lucy?

And Lucy. Takes. Her. Time. She lets the anticipation build before letting loose with it.

"I have feelings for you."

Tim is side-eyeing so hard I think his eyes are gonna roll out of his head. He can not believe what he's hearing.

He looks around as though somewhere in front of him there's confirmation that there's a full moon, or a magic potion, or any other reason Lucy would say something like that.

And it's right there, but he doesn't see it.

Hmmmm. Why doesn't he see it?

Look, I'm not saying he wants to undress her right there, or anything, but Tim does have a special spot for Lucy. Though, he wouldn't name it. I don't think he'd know how.

It's not romantic, yet. But it's important. Lucy means more to him that he ever expected, but there's no name for what he feels for her. It's a special kind of soulmate bond that sneaks up on both of them. The deep connection forms first. The romance comes later.

"Uh, like, f-"

He's still trying to figure out if she means what he thinks she means. Surely, this is one of those situations where she means something else, right?

"Look, we've been through a lot this year. I mean... you saved my life."

Now Tim is uncomfortable. He looks like he's considering jumping out of the Shop and gauging just how many civilians would be injured it if meant he could transport out of this conversation.

Look, he and Lucy are nowhere near ready to date. They're friends, and even that's something he refuses to acknowledge (but didn't dispute the last time she said it).

And this is mad uncomfortable.

Okay. Story time. April 9, 2003, I decided to break up with my boyfriend of a year and a half. April 16, 2003, I met a really sweet guy but never mentioned said boyfriend because I knew I was breaking up with him.

April 23, 2003, Sweet Guy asks me out...and it was so. damn. awkward. Because I had to tell this guy about a boyfriend and pretend I am still interested in him since I'd yet to have time to break up with the guy.

Tim was a little nicer than I was. My first response to the Sweet Guy was, "Excuse me?"

And, yes, that's the man I would later marry. We have the strangest love story.

"And I didn't want to say anything before because I didn't want to put you in a weird position. But now, I mean, I think, I think the reason why you're so protective of me and, and why you don't want me to be an undercover cop is because...because you have feelings for me, too."

He. Can't. Look. At. Her. And I am squirming in my seat in the Parent Pickup Line, thank you very much. Oh, Tim wants to escape this Shop so badly.

"Lucy, I-" "No, listen. I-I know it's complicated. You're my TO."

Now the boy is reeling. And we'll see him reel again like this in 4x22, for those of you looking to the future, but for different reasons. His hand pops off the wheel because right now reality doesn't even make sense. And that's Eric Winter, again, acting through his finger tips.

Now, I'm not saying he feels nothing towards her. We already established there's an unnamed bond there. But this "feelings" talk is outta left field and he believes her.

And leave it to Melissa O'Neil to take us on this wild ride with Lucy. See, I saw this at the top of Season 5, because that's when I got into the show. But I can imagine how folks watching this live must've wondered if there was a smidgen of truth in the performance.

But if you're watching, you can feel the intent in every choice. It's really beautifully done.

"You're responsible for me."

I just checked and I have roughly 50 seconds left of this torture. It has taken me 20 minutes at two different locations just to transcribe this because it's that painful for me.

It's a weird tick I have! Writing awkward? Sure. Acting it? Heck, yeah. I play awkward characters really well because I'm not pretty enough to be a leading lady.

But watching it always squicks me out. I feel every ounce of the energy pouring off of Tim in this scene. I want to reach through the screen and hug him.

I'm that girl in the theater who the crying actor always locks eyes on because I'm sobbing my eyes out with them. I feel what they feel. And they feed off of that.

It's happened when I've gone to professional and community theater alike. I react and the actors latch onto it, fueling their performance. It's a very odd responsibility.

Watching awkward scenes is akin to watching people lick and eat blood on television, for me. It makes me sick to my stomach, but I literally know the proper way to mix blood for television (gotta have some blue in there), and have done so for student projects where I brutally murdered people back in college (to be clear... murdered fictional characters, not real people).

My mother used to practice her prosthetics on me, and I'd be covered with bullet holes, busted lips, bruises, and goose eggs. But I don't like watching it any more than I do awkward scenes.

So the more Tim squirms, the more I'm squirming with him.

"I know that you would never cross that line, but, starting tomorrow, I guess you're not. And I-"

He holds up his hand and it switches to a point to try to stop her because words have failed him. Tim's not much of a words guy as it is, but he's truly lost the ability to form coherent thoughts, let along coherent sentences.

Lucy watches that finger with interest. She knows she's gotten under his skin in some way.

"First of all, I, I, just, like, thank you."

Thank you!? Son, if she really did love you, that's about the most insulting thing you can say. But he also doesn't want to hurt her. He might not have "feelings" for her, but he does care about her. We know he does.

And right now, he believes her.

"Um, you're. Look, Lucy, I'm flattered. I am. You're a great girl."

A girl? What is she, a puppy? Tim, you are great at a lot of things. This is not one of them. You are very bad at this.

"Woman. Woman. And I... Um... Crap."

She's starting to lose it. It's been doable up until this point, but he is fumbling so bad. The laugh is building up in Lucy and she can't even look at him, so she turns toward the window... and the camera.

And, look, Tim must be terrifying for whoever reviews the footage to not leak this around the station for laughs. Because, this is comedy gold.

"Listen." *laughs* "Are you kidding me?!"

Can we take a second to appreciate whoever wrote the Closed Captions for this one, because the ?! are absolutely there, and it's perfect. Tim is horrified, upset, annoyed, impressed, and relieved all at once.

"I'm sorry." "Are you kidding me?" "Wait, I'm sorry." "Oh, you're sorry."

The anxiety she just put that man through!! Trying to figure out how to acknowledge there's a bond between them, but that it's not romantic, and that him not being her TO wouldn't be enough for him to cross it... but he doesn't want to hurt her... and trying to find that balance in words as a man who doesn't use his words...

Yeah, he just had two minutes of pure hell.

"Wait, just wait, lie to your face, check. Make you think I've fallen for you, double check."

Oh, how he tries to shrug that one off. Because, look, much as he isn't ready for her to be in love with him (or him with her), he believed it. And for two minutes he had to hurriedly process it.

"Oh, and stab you in the back when you think we're best friends, triple check. Look me in the face." "Nope." "And tell me you don't think I have the killer instinct to do undercover work. Look me in my face."

That little smirk. It's not a smile. It's the kind of look you give the kid in the back who really gets on your nerves when you want them to know you heard them, and you're pissed.

Shit Got Weird

Tim and Lucy ride in silence... which is rare for Lucy. She looks at him, then away. He feels her gaze and looks back, then away. But he re-situates his right hand on the wheel. He's still reeling from that little stunt she pulled.

And it's a weird mixture of pride, being impressed, and being a little hurt she didn't really fall in love with him.

Because even though they aren't ready to go there, and aren't even thinking it, yet, he got to feel what it was like for a few seconds to think she was interested in him. And it's gonna take a bit to get that feeling to disappear from his memory. She kinda made the whole thing extra memorable.

"It's weird, now, isn't it?" "Nope." "I was just making a point." "And you're undermining it by feeling guilty."

Touché, Timmy. The killer instinct doesn't feel guilty. It does what it needs to do.

"Did you study post-partum depression in your Psych major?" "Yeah. PPD is fairly common. Affects 1 in 8 new moms."

I was that 1 in 8. After my twins, I suffered from really bad PPD for about six months. I loved my twins, and while I felt attached to them, I felt detached from the world and my ability to be what they needed.

I hit the bottom really hard, and every morning drive alone was perilous to my health. If you are struggling, please reach out for help.

Nobody realized what was going on with me until I pulled myself out. And I hate that I was dismissed every time I tried to point out something was wrong. I had the happy ending getting through on my own. Too many people post-partum don't. We need to change that.

But, the part of this that I love for Tim and Lucy is Tim spent the top half of this poking at her psychology major, but now it's coming in handy. Because there is a place for different approaches, and Tim needs to remember that sometimes.

"We did it." "No, you did it."

Remember when Tim used to say that Lucy's accomplishments were his accomplishments? Back when she became the Mid-Wilshire champ at the range? He's done with that. Tim Bradford is acknowledging Lucy and her accomplishments. And that's growth.

It also reminds me of when he and Lucy talked about how he saved her from the barrel. He tells her that she saved herself. Someday I hope these two realize that in the most beautiful ways, they save each other.

"What's this?" "It's a copy of your final evaluation. I wrote it before our shift today." "Like Plain Clothes Day." "Only this time I didn't have to rewrite it."

All the feels on that one. The evaluation on Plain Clothes Day was a gut-punch before he re-wrote it.

"Officer Chen impressed me with every decision she made today. I will miss riding with her."

He listens to her reading his words... drinking in her response. It's not love, no. But pride. Look at the twinkle in his eyes. He's proud of her.

And Lucy was right. At the top of shift, she asked if he was going to miss her. She already knew it. But to know he had that pre-written is confirmation of what she already knew—they care about each other. They're friends. They'll miss being around each other every day.

Tim holds out his hand to her, and you can see Lucy's surprise, but elation at it. He's meeting her as an equal, finalizing the completion of their time together as TO/Boot, and accepting her as a full-blown Officer, no longer on probation.

He's the first to welcome her to the other side. And there's something really poetic about that.

"You don't let anyone ever tell you you can't do something. Not even me."

He's holding her hand the whole time, this bridge of connection between them. Because Lucy Chen showed him something new today. Just when he thought he had her all figured out, she showed him that someone can be kind and killer. Compassionate and cut-throat.

Tim's always had absolutes in his life. There wasn't much room for grey, and he struggles with that, sometimes.

When we first met him, he had wrapped himself in cynicism and bravado to protect the pieces of his broken heart. Over the years, partly with the help of Lucy, he's learned how to find the humanity inside, again.

Hope isn't weakness. It's human. And he has started to learn to hope, again. Much as he's been teaching her, she's been teaching him.

And today she taught him you don't have to be one thing or fit in a box to be great at something. You can be many things, even if they sometimes seem contradictory.

Potential shouldn't be limited by check boxes. Tim has seen Lucy's strength. He's seen her sensitivity. Now, he's seen her sniper-like reflexes. She's many amazing things, and he's excited to see what she does, now, on her own.

"Yes sir."

Her hand drops from his, and he shoves his back in his pockets, a familiar place. But there's a smile playing on his lips.

"Step five—acceptance. Our checklist is complete."

Now he's really smiling. No teeth, no, but a real smile that reaches his eyes. Lucy's drawing it out of him more and more as time goes on.

"Um, I have a gift for you."

That surprises Tim. (It's been a day full of surprises, right?)

"It's a thank you for every lesson I had to learn." "Uh, should I open it, now?" "Absolutely. Mmhmm." "Okay."

And she takes. a. step. back. First time watching this, I thought, "Oh, what now!?"

I was not disappointed.

"I'll be dumb before I'm wise," says the music as Tim. Opens. His... POOF!

"It's been a blast, sir." "I'll see you tomorrow, Lucy." "See you tomorrow, Tim."

Ceremonial retiring of "Boot" for Lucy, achieved... in a puff of powder and giggles.

Y'all, this was a tough one for me to get through. And it's something I've apparently passed onto my kids, because none of us like watching uncomfortable/awkward moments. But the significance of this episode warranted my discomfort.

This is more than Lucy crossing that first finish line of her carer. This is more than Tim and Lucy's last ride. This is the moment that Tim Bradford truly realized what kind of person and cop Lucy is—the kind that he'll never fully peg. (Well....)

I mean, Lucy is full of surprises. And that'll be marvelous and frustrating for them going forward.

But this is the episode where he sees her completely as her own officer, where he admits that he'll miss her, which is indirectly admitting that he feels their bond, too. And this is the episode where he realizes he can't say a damn thing about her doing UC.

He's never been thrilled about Lucy doing UC, and after Isabel, we can understand why. But it was more than that, all this time. He was worried about protecting Lucy from finding out she wasn't good enough. Only for him to realize he had no business telling her what she could and couldn't do.

Tim does take his duty as her "fierce protector" seriously, even before DOD. And that's just a part of their rhythm, of who they are, and it can morph into something really beautiful should these two get their act together down the line.

For now, Season 3 Tim and Lucy are on the most level footing of their relationship, thus far, and it's all thanks to the transitions that this episode provided.

As always, thank you for reading. My Littlest was home sick all day and I worked late all night last night to stay on top of things. So, I had some free time tonight after bedtime to myself. Back's still mending, but much better, too.

Onward to what's next. Stay frosty out there.

#tw suicide #tw postpartum #Chenford #Lucy Chen #Tim Bradford #Melissa O'Neil #Eric Winter #Lucy x Tim #Tim x Lucy #The Rookie #Meta

[invisiblegarters]

Dangerous Romance Ep 7

Here we are again. Last week Kang spent the whole time being a jealous punk and every leg of the love triangle was brave and confessed. Everything culminated in Kang getting super jealous of Guy and Sailom and pulling him into the bathroom for a kiss.

Okay, see, this is a proper use of flashback.

I do respect that Kang does - welp never mind. I was just gonna say that I appreciate that he doesn't use the connected bathroom to bother Sailom but then he did. Although to be fair he didn't try to shove his way in when Sailom made it clear he didn't want him in the room, so I will give him a point back for that.

PINKIES.

Lol okay they got me with the delighted face Kang made when Sailom opened the door.

"Since when did you have feelings for me?" Yes, is the answer to that.

Well this is a cute little montage. Kang really is all in huh. Good for him.

All the snacks. And now I'm hungry, thanks for that.

Pfft "is he trying to poison us?" Not really his style friends.

Right. The integration of flashbacks is better but does it need to be quite this constant.

I guess they didn't completely ignore that Kang used to bully them, but I have to say I still wish it were given more weight. What he got up to wasn't garden variety bullying - he escalated into branding Sailom a pedophile, and getting actual firearms involved. You'd think someone would be madder about it.

Yeah you think you're joking Sailom but I guarantee you your brother is not.

Auto and Guy are not into this turn of events at all.

I don't blame them.

Sailom: Is genuinely decent.

Kanghan: wants to be near the boy he likes.

Well there are worse reasons to do a nice thing.

He's totally going to pass out.

"We are not down to earth, we are just dirt poor." - Auto spitting facts. I love him. Seriously though I'm just not as dignified as all these poor characters in these shows. Please throw your money at me. I will take it. I mean you can't buy me off but I will never say nay to having things a little easier.

Yeah okay all these people in one place surely this won't be a problem at all.

Guy and Nawa are gonna get drunk and make out, aren't they?

I like drunk Auto but I wish they'd stop playing the bullying off like it was this funny thing that happened once.

They're not gonna fight. They're gonna make out.

Or fight then make out.

Guy you moron. You deserve the regrets you're going to have later.

Okay maybe they won't make out. They might just pass out.

Hm. Are we finally going to get something serious with the dad? Because they always play this sinister music when he's onscreen and interacting with Kang and thus far he hasn't done anything but not really care. I mean that's not great, clearly Kang wants more than that, but I do not get this sinister ass music man.

It also doesn't jive with his dog training theory.

OH NO. Don't play that jaunty music show I see you. Whoever said Saifah was gonna rob this family was spot on. And yep, totally agree that he's been robbing his clients for ages. But Grandma is too savvy for you, Saifah.

And this is why I like Guy. I appreciate that he just does not tolerate unfairness, even if the unfairness is being directed at someone he doesn't even like much.

Still not liking the way they're treating the former bullying.

How? How has he - you know what, it's fine. This is fine. Sure why not. I am just going to go ahead and decide that it's less that Auto and Guy like Kang now and more that they support Sailom. I will give them that it's pretty obvious Kang is trying. There. That's all you get from me.

Oh NO. I do NOT trust you, Saifah. Not at all.

#dangerous romance #episode 7

[cosmojjong]

Top 5 kpop artists (group or solists) (of course whitout ptg and shinee lol)

oh i see what you did there with the 'of course without ptg and shinee' because you knew i was gonna mention them :,)

not sure if i am supposed to do five top groups and five top soloists together so i'll do them divided! also, making this list is hard because i feel like i'm gonna regret it (i may remember someone else later since i casually listen to a lot of music) but:

groups

bvndit - i think they're such a solid group, but unfortunately aren't very known and the company doesn't promote them as much as they should. also hui composed 'dramatic' for them so the connection to ptg is there lmao

a.c.e - admittedly i don't vibe with every song of theirs, but i just think they're really good performance, vocal, rap and dance wise. it may also be because i discovered them when they were busking so it's been nice seeing their growth. taemin also mentored two of them on the unit <3

onf - i listened to many of their songs and i like how bright they are as people. again, i got to know them through ptg on rtk, they look like such nice kids. a couple of their songs got me through some dark days. if you need a pick me up, beautiful beautiful and popping will do wonders!

p1harmony - i have a soft spot on this group, i don't know them super well but i loved their last mini ep, not a skip! also they seem so cute. i kinda adopted them by osmosis because a lot of friends love them. so i'm always down to discover new music.

a tie between girls' generation and wjsn - i love their discographies. i used to really find strength through their songs, especially in 2020. wjsn are right up my alley sound wise. i don't recall disliking a cb of theirs ever. there's something always magical abt them, their latest cb was exquisite.

soloists

woodz - his music is so good, i'm not sure if i know his entire discography but i literally love every song of his that i know. and, he is bestfriends with pentagon's kino, lmao.

leehi - love her, her voice, her songs, everything. she's such a sweetheart and i still listen to her latest album so much.

iu - i don't think i can stop if i start talking about her. i admire her so much, especially her strength and her lyricism. everytime i listen to her, i feel like i've just walked into another world.

suho - i don't keep up with/like exo as much as i did as a baby k-pop stan but i do surely keep an eye on his solo projects. self-portrait legit was one of the best things that happened to me.

ten - he has like three/four songs out? and i love all of them, he's got so much potential, i think sm should invest into him as a soloist more.

#apologies if this list is a mess #i don't know all of these people very personally but i love their music so yeah i went through my spotify and checked who i listened to mos #besides ptg and shinee lol which is really hard because almost my entire spotify scrobbling history is just them #was gonna say something else and forgot #anon #ask

[appropriatelystupid]

Baby's First Magic

#morgana #lena luthor #katie mcgrath #i'm gonna fight the cw over the edit style on that flashback #they really are gonna have something that connects every ep aren't they #honestly they would've been better just making lena morgana reincarnated at this point #seems like i might need a joint lena and morgana tag #parallels #merlin #supergirl

[motherflecker]

that episode got me so overwhelmed i had to go watch something else and take a walk before i could sit down and write out my thoughts, my god. anyway, here's some thoughts, chronologically.

the way they had the time behind akk's head was stylish. this show is so stylish. and dumb. so dumb. also, someone needs to slap each ambassador individually at least once. maybe multiple times for phupha and wayo. i volunteer.

i love the implication that akk and theo just RAN AWAY. that's my headcanon now, that's why they were running, theo just bolted and akk followed. no one can convince me otherwise. everything about akk in this scene was very, very funny. the way he forgot what the louvre was called.

actually, that's one thing i appreciate about this show -- they make it very clear that akk is like, the boy next door. he cares about his sisters and photography and that kind of stuff but he never thought in a more globetrotting sense. he has no reason to know what the louvre is or remember that oxford is in england. why would he? though that said, incredibly charming that he demanded theo take him to france and joked about buying tickets. if i'm gonna be real soft about it, the boy is just trying to connect more with theo when all these four weirdos show up, speaking french, and knowing about that side of theo more than akk can. my boys!

akk getting punished for putting up all the flyers by being forced to take them down. i love the continuity here and akk continuing to be best dumb boy. this is also the scene that put wayo on my shitlist. i do not trust this sports boy at all. he can barely even PRETEND he actually likes theo, what a tool.

theo sulking and watching for akk's bedroom light. man, the amount of time these boys spend looking for the other one is incredible. they're always so aware of each other, wtf. i'm emotional.

akk thinking "i'm gonna help cheer theo up!" then immediately proceeds to get the shit kicked out of him by theo. my man was not holding back on those punches. this was not how akk pictured his night going and you know it. then going home and that soft stupid smile at the plane and his utter faith in theo??? after playing it cool when theo asked if he believed in him?? god, akk loves theo so utterly and fully, i'm gonna scream.

now the ep is just SCHEMES ON SCHEMES ON SCHEMES. the only thing that would have made all of akk and theo's attempts to get the handwriting better would be if yakety sax was playing in the background. there was one brain cell in these scenes and neither akk and theo had it. (it went to saifa, obviously.) what these scenes proved beyond the fact that akk and theo are complete morons, is that they have so much stupid chemistry. god. all their little moments. literally this entire episode was just "hey, you know how akk and theo are the best when they're together? here's more proof of that." they're so good for each other.

when this show is over i want a compilation of akk and theo just standing places and looking aesthetically pleasing. the amount of times they stand in WIDE OPEN PLACES, shoulder to shoulder, pressed up against each other, and talking about something completely idiotic. i love it, i love them.

JIMMY. i was like oh why aren't they showing p'sun's face BUT THEN THEY DID AND IT'S JIMMY. i knew he was on the cast list but we didn't see him until now. my utter trust in sun vs my utter distrust in wai. the duality.

now it's akk's turn to look through his window for theo. i'm glad they both had looking through the window for the other one and Pining scenes in this ep. good for them. egg giving akk the binoculars was fucking funny tho, for real. akk's GENUINE MOMENT OF CONSIDERATION when thinking about using them made it even more funny. what a tag team of dumb.

ZINE FAIR. i really liked how it was a lot of montage moments showing akk and theo in their natural habitat of being utterly stupid together. i hope every single ambassador watched their natural chemistry and got jealous. ESPECIALLY YOU, PHUPHA. THEO WILL NEVER LOVE YOU.

wayo taking the wood from theo is especially hilarious when it's trying to paint theo as this delicate flower. except akk knows theo isn't bc theo beat the shit out of him only a day or two ago. akk in the background probably thinking about all the bruises he has from this man and that he can just CARRY SOME WOOD in return. akk very loudly talking shit about wayo after he leaves and being called out for it, with theo covering his mouth was so fucking funny. i'm glad they just address how fucking loud akk is, especially when he talks shit. this boy is not subtle about anything, ever.

our obligatory oishi scene. things that made me laugh: the way force accidentally covered the label with his hand and you can see they had to shoot it a few times bc the drink is empty by the time they cut to him drinking it. you can tell they're new to the obligatory oishi moment. next time, boys. you'll be as smooth about it as the rest of the gmmtv lads eventually.

"you just wanted to bicker" and akk not even denying it. akk and theo's love language is a fight. i love them.

theo not realizing akk finished the drink and trying to drink anyway. then giving him the middle finger. true love.

everything about the ambassadors telling their favorite stories was funny and i'll hear no disagreement. that was so over the top and ridiculous. and we got naked fluke as a treat.

also lowkey, saifa/tan? saifa/tan.

the INTENSE DISCOMFORT that radiates anytime phupha interrupts akk and theo's little bubble. the way every moment around him hurts akk but while he'll go quiet, he won't leave bc what if theo needs him. i'm going crazy here.

phupha's insistence that he's enchante is a lot. i'm getting the feeling he has a BIG reason for trying to get on theo's good side and i think it has to do with his mom. the BTS video from before the show talked a lot about his mom and implied she's kind of abusive to him so i'm really curious. man, theo would just help phupha if he came to him honestly about whatever he's trying to get out of him. looks like next week we'll learn more about phupha's intentions based on the preview.

the end of that episode was just a lot of [AKK RADIATES UNHAPPINESS IN THE CORNER] after an ep where it was just akk and theo the chaotic duo. makes me sad. the moment theo was left alone with phupha, i was just like NO HE'S GONNA LIE, YOU NEED A WITNESS. don't leave that boy alone with him, damnit. still, i think theo is more savvy than he lets on and i don't think he's entirely believing phupha either. just don't like phupha's insistence on getting theo alone (to manipulate him!!!!!!!)

the preview for next week was a lot. i hope akk chasing after theo's car was just them being clowns again and not something that's going to send me into a WORLD OF PAIN, considering theo's insistence akk always comes with him to school. also the rain/movie date??? bro?? romantic movies??? how are you going to play this as platonic at all?? i'm not ready

#enchante #akk x theo #akk itsara #theo asawa-ekanan #enchante the series #squee chats #will i do this every week until the show ends??? perhaps #i keep writing essays in the tags of ppl's gifsets and while i will STILL DO THAT #sometimes i have thoughts that are not relevant!!!!!

[angelhummel]

what’s your favourite klaine moments from each season?

Oooh that's a good question! Thank you! ♡♡

Season 2 - It's such stiff competition bc nearly every single scene of theirs in this season is golden. But I'm gonna go wiiith... their first meeting! I think it's just so crazy to see how, even tho they just met, there's an instant connection. Blaine's face just lights up when he first lays eyes on Kurt. And he's intuitive enough to see right away that something is wrong, and gets his friends to leave so he and Kurt can talk more privately. And Kurt instantly feels comfortable enough to open up about his problems, and Blaine empathizes with him, and does his best to help Kurt. And then later goes to help him confront his bully, even tho I guess that's a different scene. But that whole ep for them is *chef's kiss*

Season 3 - Ugh I still mostly like the Klaine stuff this season but idk. It's part of s3 so it still manages to feel wrong lol. But my favorite would have to be when Kurt congratulates Blaine on getting the part of Tony. He surprises him with flowers, and gives him lots of encouragement and talks about how perfect for the part he is. It shows that even tho Kurt is torn, bc of course he also wanted the part, he's mature enough to not dwell on his loss so much that he can't celebrate Blaine's win. And then Blaine has the adorable line about "you always zig when I think you're about to zag" it's just so sweet and it makes me smile

Season 4 - There's some gems this season but I'll say the phone call in Thanksgiving. It shows that even when things are rough between them, and even when they aren't a romantic couple, they're still close. They're best friends! And Blaine is just so relieved to hear from Kurt. And he tells Kurt he loves him and you think Kurt is gonna be like "I know" but he says he loves him too! It's so great and it's the first step towards their healing and getting back together so it's very important

Season 5 - I know it's redundant bc I think all Klaine scenes are good Klaine scenes but! This season has some great Klaine scenes! I really adore their heart to heart in Tested bc Blaine finally gets to voice his insecurities and Kurt comforts him and reassures him he's always going to love him. But he also has that great line about not being a delicate little flower that needs his boyfriend's protection. I love that. It's an emotional and sometimes difficult scene but it needed to happen so I'm grateful for it

Season 6 - I've said it before but I LOVE the scene in the elevator when they're playing that game. Bc it was all improvised by Darren and Chris and I think that's amazing! Because it's so little but it tells us so much. For Klaine, it tells us that they're still best friends even after more hardships, that they just get one another in ways no one else will, that they have so many little shared personal moments and inside jokes and all kinds of great tidbits like that. And for the actors, it shows us how well they understand their characters, and how much they understand and respect the relationship of Kurt and Blaine. And - contrary to some belief - it shows that they really are friends and have fun working with one another! And that friendship off screen really helped with the romantic relationship on screen and that just means so much to me! A lot of tv couples don't have that added layer of a real life connection, so I'm glad Klaine have that, and that Chris and Darren always treated the relationship with so much love and care and respect. It's what makes Klaine the best!

#glee #klaine #kurt hummel #blaine anderson #my thoughts #asks #answered #anonymous #long post #season 2 #season 3 #season 4 #season 5 #season 6 #i basically did this when hopefulobjectmiracle was asking about favorite scenes #and i named one from each season bc i couldnt pick one lol #but only two are the same #the last two #i changed my mind on all the others lol #i mean they're all wonderful but this is what im feeling now

[porschekittisawasds]

i know this is kind of an unpopular opinion but as we get deeper into the season my hope for canon buddie is getting less and less :/ i feel like eddie and buck aren't getting nearly as much screen time together and it makes me wonder if that's because of the ryan and oliver drama. im just worried that because of their issues buck and eddie aren't going to have the same dynamic ):

under the cut because this got very long lmao

to begin with, let's talk about buck and eddie's screen time this season.

1 and 2: these episodes focus on the dam breaking and the landslide, so they're on calls almost the entire time. buck is paired with chimney for a good amount of time which is a change of pace considering he's usually paired with eddie. however, you have to keep in mind that this is the first episode we've seen since maddie and chimney found out they're having a baby. buck and chimney are now family outside of the 118, so it makes to pair them up especially when you consider chimney is experiencing a lot of anxiety about becoming a father.

3: lots of eddie/buck content this episode. buck teasing eddie about hilda. eddie knowing random facts just like buck. buck and eddie and chris hang out featuring chris asking buck if they can go play video games at his place and eddie giving buck a "we have to be a united front" look. chris and buck teaming up to prank eddie with what is presumably a pretty expensive coffee maker. literally Peak Buddie Content™.

lone star ep: buck, eddie and hen got split up this ep so we could have one 911 character with the 3 different lone star groups. buck is less than pleased when he finds out eddie is going off with marjan and it isn't going to be just the two of them. eddie defends buck to marjan when she calls him creepy and later asks her to follow buck back on instagram. tk assumes buck is asking him out and less than a second later eddie shows up (maybe that means something maybe it doesn’t). they were together for like 5 minutes of the total episode (and they really managed to cram in so much casual touching in that short amount of time) but we still got good buddie content.

4. not a ton of buddie scenes considering this ep was heavily focused on buck, maddie and their parents but the scene we did get was GOLD. when buck was venting about his family, eddie listened and validated his feelings at every turn, which is a change of pace from early season 3 eddie who was all about sucking up your problems and moving on. buck could have just as easily gone to bobby (you know, his father figure) but he was pissed off and hurt and he chose to talk to eddie over anyone else.

5. again, not a ton of buddie scenes but the ones we got were A+. buck being all self-deprecating and talking about how he's defective parts and eddie pushing back and telling buck that's not on him. eddie being the first person to show up in that warehouse fire and grab onto the rope ("people who love each other are always connected by an invisible string made of love"), setting him apart from the rest of the team. which imo is because buck has a very different relationship with eddie than he does the rest of the team. they do this again when eddie is the only member of the team there when buck and bobby arrive back to the station. that fond little “i know you did.”

6. straight up FLIRTING during the truck restock scene. buck was the first person eddie told about ana. he only talked to bobby about it AFTER buck told the team about her (in response to eddie teasing him about reading a book). if buck hadn't said anything who knows if/when eddie would have talked to them about it. the whole "i lost my partner" comment which was an interesting choice of words considering eddie's main struggle this episode was moving on from losing shannon. you know, his partner.

7. there wasn't a ton of eddie or buck in this ep considering it was a very hen and michael centric episode (nice), but we got to see buck talk about his date with eddie and them be dumb ass turkey hunters together. also v interesting that buck starts dating the episode after eddie goes out with ana. does it mean something? maybe. maybe not.

anyway my point is that even if they have had less screen time this season than they usually do (which im not sure is actually even true), there has still been a lot of good, meaningful buddie content.

as for potential ryan and oliver drama, i don't keep up with them so i have no clue, but listen. 911 does an exceptionally good job with storytelling. buck and eddie play a hugely important role in each others lives. outside of maddie and chris, their next closest relationship is arguably with each other. i don't care how much of an issue ryan and oliver have with each other, i don't see that influencing the writers' decision in terms of eddie and buck. it would make no sense for those characters to suddenly start pulling back from each other.

as for buddie, i think there's a good chance at this point in the show that the showrunners/writers have made a decision (or at the very least are leaning one way or another) in terms of whether to make them canon. if they've decided not to, then this is completely irrelevant. if they have, that takes some planning. if all the shit we've been analyzing this season was intentional and they do plan on making buddie canon, do you really think they're gonna be like “oh you guys don’t like each other anymore? no problem we’ll just scrap months of planning and go in a different direction.” more than likely they’re gonna be told to suck it up and do their jobs considering they’re, you know. ACTORS.

also as a side note, i've noticed some people say that they feel like the buck/eddie scenes this season have felt off but i genuinely think that's because people know there's a potential problem between the actors. imo buck and eddie have been soft as hell with each other this season and seem closer than ever.

in conclusion: don’t stress out too much about it. it’s completely out of our control. personally as long as neither of them die and they’re both happy and their friendship stays intact ill be okay with whatever direction the show goes.

#ask #anonymous #911 fox #911 spoilers #buddie

[hoochy-coo]

Honestly I'm even surprised that selena gomez managed to stay relevant for a decade. Like she actually managed to make it this far, not to be harsh but she doesn't have anything special that she brings to the current landscape of pop culture, like, sure she's gorgeous. But other than that she's average at almost everything she does. Her personality doesn't leave an impression, her vocals aren't one to exactly rave about, I watched two films with her in it, she's entertaining at best.

- And my impression is she doesn't write most of her songs ( all though I know she wrote a few ). What's more mind boggling to me is that she's pretty much one of the most well connected girlies In the music industry. She had so many opportunities that I feel she didn't take advantage of. At her peak she was seen with anyone who was anyone in the industry. Her bff taylor swift ( I don't know how genuine the friendship is ) is one of the most prominent female songwriters of this decade. Now I'm sure taylor knows many people in the industry that could help selena with some of her albums, some upcoming songwriters who could write her something, or talented producers who are looking for exposure. I feel like what selena lacks most imo is direction, and which with revival we saw a glimpse of. Sometimes she comes of uninspired and lazy when it comes to music. And after rare... the album was lackluster and disservice to the progress that was made in previous eras. 

I feel like Selena’s real talent lies within media play and making connections to keep her relevant. It’s quite fascinating to see because Miley is undoubtedly the biggest household name out of that generation of Disney stars but for the last 4-5 years, Selena has become the bigger name. I completely agree that she’s average in every area but she must be doing something right in terms of attracting stans because she’s got a stable and sizable fandom that goes hard for her whenever she drops a new project. All her collabs (which she singlehandedly bagged through industry connections) have been really average but it always seems to chart well/get decent radio play. I wouldn’t say that Selena hasn’t capitalised on the opportunities that have come by though. Just off the top of my head, I can name a fair few instances where she used her connection in the industry to get further/stay relevant: She made an appearance on Taylor’s Rep tour 2 years ago, she and Bieber capitalised on each other and their relationship and milked it for what all that it's worth (Her fans are gonna hate me for this but Bieber definitely got her into all the prestigious award ceremonies as his fate. Without him, she would have had zero chance to sitting front row), her friendship/fling with Charlie Puth got her a feature on ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’ which has gone like 4 times platinum or something, she dated Zedd and he gave her ‘I Want You to Know’ which ended up being huge, etc. 

The only stage in Selena’s career where I felt like she failed to capitalise on was when she was dating the Weeknd. She should have at least done a song with him or went through with the rebranding her and her team was trying to do with ‘Fetish.’ That could have been an iconic era that cemented her in the pop music game but she fumbled by not dropping an EP to follow up the hype of that and ‘Bad Liar’ (not that it’s completely her fault, I know she went through a massive health scare and needed time to heal). If she’d follow ‘Revival’ up with an equally strong/critically acclaimed album, her singing career would look a lot different now. You’re correct that she lacks direction and I suspect that it’s because she’s not even all that passionate about making music...? I remember her saying how hands-on she was with the creation of ‘Rare’ but she didn’t even recognise her own lyrics when Madison Beer mentioned it on the live stream. In terms of writing lyrics, you could literally add one word into a line and that would be enough to get you a songwriting credit. Honestly, the best move to make now is to get herself a Taylor feature or vice-versa. They share a portion of their fanbase so it’s a win-win for both of them. 

#ask #answer #selena gomez #music

[youreallminorities]

I posted 921 times in 2021

209 posts created (23%)

712 posts reblogged (77%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 3.4 posts.

I added 1,264 tags in 2021

#oc - 198 posts

#gifs - 184 posts

#blaine anderson - 166 posts

#sam evans - 155 posts

#finn hudson - 144 posts

#kurt hummel - 143 posts

#rachel berry - 106 posts

#quinn fabray - 61 posts

#santana lopez - 55 posts

#blam - 52 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#i apreciate the existance of the quarterback ep but i def have a very complicated relationship with the execution of such an important ep

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

@awkwardcaterpillar & @beshrew-my-very-heart we're so onto something.

Alfredo Anderson-Evans is now their baby's canon name. It's a fact now.

27 notes • Posted 2021-10-20 00:09:26 GMT

#4

If I may... this polycule

30 notes • Posted 2021-09-30 22:12:37 GMT

#3

Good night to

People with Mercedes icons

Faberry truthers

Those who wish tina had more solos

The Mr. Schue-critical

Cory Monteith, Diana Agron, and Jane Lynch stans

Writers who have dedicated themselves to an incredibly specific trope.

Burt hummel himself

The extras who gave sneak peeks to tumblr as the show aired

Those who headcanon all of the ND as gay/trans

32 notes • Posted 2021-10-28 18:01:34 GMT

#2

I chose to believe that the implications of Faberry was in no way intentional. Ryan, Ian, and Brad simply have never met a woman, and as a result, have no idea how they speak to eachother.

35 notes • Posted 2021-08-20 00:02:12 GMT

#1

Before I leave tumblr for shabbos, (just until tomorrow) I'm gonna use this time to be loudly jewish (is there any other way lmao).

The writing of glee is really antisemetic, and you should care about this when you're critiquing glee for being offensive.

Jacob Ben Israel is an example of the negative stereotype of Jewish men being unmasculine perverts. Rachel berry is the cookie cutter stereotype of the loud, neurotic, and controlling Jewish woman. Myron Moskovitz is a mix of the worst parts of both of those character's portrayals with the added layer of him being undeservingly rich.

The Puckermans are the only Jewish glee characters I can think of that aren't antisemetic caricatures (Jake is pigeonholed for his race, but that's not really something I'm qualified to unpack) but even then, the show failed at giving them any meaningful connection to their religious tradition (like Quinn and Joe got) besides a handful of throwaway lines and the misrepresentation of Channukah that was 4x10 Glee, Actually.

I know glee ended years ago, so theres nothing we can do about it now, but please (especially if you're a goyiche gleek) be mindful of the hurtful antisemetic tropes present in the text

55 notes • Posted 2021-09-03 23:27:57 GMT

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