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#yeah yeah it's christian kane obviously we all know this

evilwickedme · 1 year

Note

Thoughts on Batman by Jewishness?

This one's harder mostly because Batman has had like a million fucking movies and shows and I have not seen even close to all of them - I didn't even find him that compelling as a character until I got into his children. Also we're defining Batman as Bruce Wayne because obviously Dick Grayson isn't Jewish and I don't know anything about Terry McGinnis and evil future Batman!Tim Drake might be Jewish but he's essentially a recurring what if character. Ok here we go

In last place we have Batfleck. Even if Ben Affleck had any interest in portraying Bruce Wayne jewishally, he sucked and I hate him in the role, so I'm giving him a -5/10 just for being in bad movies. Fuck you pick better scripts

After that we have the Dark Knight Trilogy Batman. Extremely well made and enjoyable movies. Not much like comic Batman imo. 1/10

Next we have Battinson. I actually don't mind this movie! I don't like it nearly as much as it seemed everybody else had, and I really wish we could get a Batman movie that acknowledges he has a fucking family in the year of our lord 5783, but it's still a good movie. However, no indication that Bruce is Jewish. I do however think this Bruce is way funnier, so extra points for making me laugh out loud in the theater repeatedly. 3/10

Up next is Lego Batman from the Lego Batman movie. I don't know he just gives me good vibes. He's got a Robin, which automatically puts him closer to comic canon than any other filmic version of Batman, making him Jewish by association. 5/10 I guess

I only watched one season of Gotham but hey, it was a pretty good season before I realized what I really wanted to be watching was Smallville, which I then proceeded to watch all ten seasons of over the course of four weeks (I was in, how you say, a depression). I probably would've watched more (see: in a depression), but there was only one season in existence at the time. It seemed fine to me, although I know a lot more about Batman now than I did then, but it seemed decently connected to the spirit of the comics. Bonus points for David Mazouz being a Jewish actor - the only Jewish actor on this list fyi - but at least in the one season I watched, he was not confirmed Jewish, so let's say a 7/10 (is this technically even a Batman? I have no idea what happens in the later seasons)

Finally we have our main continuity comic book Batman, the only (afaik) canonically Jewish Batman on this list! Batman was made Jewish by association when his maternal cousin, Kate Kane aka Batwoman, was created as an explicitly Jewish character. Sidenote, she's a great character and I adore her. But yeah although he is essentially canonically Jewish it's never actually addressed within his stories - he's only ever spoken about his father being Christian and him not following in his footsteps, as far as I know. I give it a 9/10, losing a point for only being Jewish on a technicality. DC, like Marvel, are also cowards

Honorable mention to any animated movie based directly on a comic such as the Under the Red Hood movie being Jewish by association as well. Let's give that archetype of Bruce a 7.5/10

#in conclusion stan batwoman and stan greg rucka #batwoman elegy >>>>>>#dc #batman #bruce wayne #the batman #the dark knight trilogy #lego batman #gotham #gotham tv #batfleck #battinson #jew tag #jewish #jumblr #gail speaks #ask #anonymous

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mittensmorgul · 1 year

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hello!

note-taking anon here! life was busy (in a mostly good way) so spn watching was not happening. However. I have now watched 15x07 and 15x08.

Last Call was a lot of fun. It's really neat to explore dean through other characters, but especially someone like lee. The implications. It's so interesting to see another side of the coin. A what if.

It's also so fun to bring a character from before canon. Lee knows nothing of the only dean we know. But yet he still knows him. And it's also a testament to see how dean's grown. The conversation about john aches brilliantly.

Christian kane is always a lot of fun and he's great here. The lighting is obviously excellent, as are the metaphors and parallels. A really great episode on deans side.

Im also so partial to all the eileen scenes. She's such a great character. Full of charisma and charm, while also being very distinct. Her and sam are a lot of fun.

The shots in this ep are also really nice. Lots of creative camera work and editing. There's character to it.

15x08 really feels like a buckleming ep at times. One of their strengths is exploring characters that arent sam and dean. So writing for adam/michael actually worked really well. I think it was clever to bring them back, and not in the typical 'over the top' clever that buckleming can often go for. Jabel is fantastic. All the right beats. The anger. The relief. The comedy. The shifts between michael and adam. Really good.

It was nice to see cas get to be clever again. The show sometimes forgets he's smart. I also thought the moments between dean and adam were well done. I wish we had more of sam and adam, but alas.

I enjoyed seeing more of sam and eileen's relationship and communication. I like that eileen's not afraid to be like dude. Too much. And sam respects that and is trying. Plus, dean's reaction to sam being happy. It's very sweet. Honestly, one of my favourite moments in the show probably ever. We don't see enough of the boys being actual siblings.

The directing in this, from speight, is also fantastic. Theres so many shots where the tension and chasm between dean and cas is so evident. It hurts to watch. In a good way. It screams wrong which is what it's supposed to.

The only thing i dont get is the portal shenanigans at the very end. Michael could've waited for them to gather things and prep before opening it. Now, maybe he's overwhelmed with emotions sure. But dude you kinda need them to succeed. And of course, i question why only 12 hours open. But we're never getting a reason, it just simply is 😂

Ultimately, some really good episodes leading into one that i know is excellent.

I hope you are well!

hi hi! It's so good to hear from you again! And yeah, you're about to tip over into the end run, so much angst!

And yeah, the portal opening, with a time limit, is... for tension purposes lol :'D

I wish I had more time to reply more thoroughly, but I didn't want to leave this sitting in my inbox any longer and forget to post it at all, but let's just say I'm vibrating with excitement for you to get to the next episode :D

#note taking anon #spn 15.07 #spn 15.08

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eyrieofsynapses · 2 years

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…maybe an unpopular opinion, but I think I like Eliot's hand-to-hand fight scenes more than the ones in big-box movies.

see, I was rewatching a bit of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (yes I've seen some of the MCU, no I have not seen Infinity War or anything past it because I refuse to watch it without other people to cry with and my friends haven’t been available) before I rewatched Rundown. and guys, I adore TWS. easily in my top favorite films of all time. the fight scenes are fantastic! holy heck, the emotional weight! if you asked me which movies I love hand-to-hand in the most, that'd be at the top of the list, easy. Steve and Bucky in that final scene? ohhhhhh my gods.

but then I bounced over to The Rundown Job and just… y’know the bit where Eliot takes out the guys after Hardison signals him at the elevator? it feels so much more fun. I can't pin down exactly why, but it feels closer, more personal, more impactful. probably some of it comes from how Eliot is having--maybe not exactly fun, but how he likes doing his job. there's something about it.

and it's not just TWS that I can compare this back to, either. off the top of my head, I love it more than The Batman's hand-to-hand combat (which is admittedly rough because it's early-years Bruce, but still) and probably most anything else I've seen out of the MCU. animation isn't live-action, obviously, but I've seen some really solid combat in DC's animated work too. like, I haven't seen a ton of hand-to-hand work (it seems the film industry is understandably more fond of sword fights and such), but personally I find that when it comes to sheer fun, Leverage is really hard to beat.

now I'm not gonna compare it to sword-fighting or things like that. that's another ballgame. but hand-to-hand specifically… I'm not a violent person, but I dunno, y'all, there's just something about how Eliot fights that makes him fun to watch in a way I'm not sure I see elsewhere. probably it's partly that I'm just ridiculously fond of him. it is absolutely in large part because Christian Kane a) does his own stunts and works with the choreography, b) actively integrates Eliot's character into his work, and c) is just an all-around fantastic madman of a person.

but! they get so very clever with it! all the different things he'll grab to improvise with! I mean, where else do you get somebody who uses umbrellas, pipe organ pipes, whisks, screen doors, golf clubs, appetizers, literally anything to take opponents out on a regular basis? hauling people up over his shoulders and his back to toss them into dumpsters? comments like "if I'm not honest with you, you can't improve"? counting every single dude in a massive ship and then counting down as he takes each one out? barreling out of nowhere to tackle a dude? who else gives us lines like "that's what makes it fair" to the dude who laughs at him for not carrying a gun?

and it's hardly like we don't know Eliot's going to win--Eliot always wins--but there's still tension to it. he's not so good as to be perfect. he struggles, he comes back with bruises and cuts and the occasional broken rib, it's not like there's nothing at stake here. we've seen him have to let somebody go or otherwise mess up. too many opponents or too much muscle make him wary. he's competent as all hell, but he has to be sly and tricky and clever about how he fights as much as he has to deliver enough force. Eliot doesn't just fight well, he fights smart. he uses his surroundings and knows when to play possum and how to target an opponent's weak spots.

like. goddamn. I can watch him versus Roper in The Carnival Job a hundred times, and it still shakes me to the core to see him go down for that brief moment. in that second, you can believe he's in real danger. and he does come out of it hurt and limping and covered in blood. but we still have no doubt that he's an absolute badass!

oh yeah, and also: he has fun. there's always that little smile he's got when he's about to take down a bunch of unwitting thugs. laughing at Quinn when he's got bruised ribs and bloody teeth. looking at the pipe from the pipe organ in Van Gogh in surprise when it rings when he hits a guy before giving it an appreciative grin. sizing up Mikel and running through each situation (and, you know, that little make-out in the basement). staring at the dude in Lonely Hearts and going "fisticuffs? seriously?" with that tone of amused disbelief before flipping the guy into the harbor.

it's his job and he's not fond of hurting people, exactly, but he takes pride in it and he enjoys proving himself over and over. he enjoys the challenge. and it's kind of impossible not to love watching him beat it every. single. time

anyway yeah, if you ever ask me "who's the most fun to watch fight hand-to-hand?" it's probably always gonna be Eliot, tbh.

#leverage #eliot spencer #and I couldn't find a spot to add this thought in here BUT ALSO #these scenes aren't all about Emotional Tension Release #they're not Big Dramatic Moments for the most part #there is no heft dramatic music or seriousness to it #nah--Leverage just wants us to have fun #these scenes are crafted to be FUN TO WATCH #we're meant to enjoy the grins! we're meant to laugh!#we're meant to be impressed by Eliot's ingeniousness of course #but we're also just... here to enjoy the ride with him #yes I absolutely love big dramatic fighting moments #they can be great on a character development level and just in general #but there's really something to be said for when they're developed #with the specific purpose of entertainment and such #also: I'm saying hand-to-hand SPECIFICALLY #because uh. you really really REALLY can't beat Princess Bride's swordfighting #or the hilarity of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl #and there's also lightsaber battles to be considered #also magic and ATLA and those sorts of things #and you really absolutely cannot beat the sheer fun of Cap's shield #however: hand-to-hand is QUITE different in comparison to those #now I adore Nightwing's sass mind you and plenty of others #but when it comes to sheer 'aw hell how'd they do five season's worth of this #and it STILL never ever gets remotely boring or stale?!' factor #Eliot beats out... pretty much everything I can think of

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afraschatz · 4 years

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Leverage: The 12 Steps Job

It‘s been a while since I‘ve done one of these, but I‘m rewatching Leverage yet again (SHOW, I MISSED YOU) and here are plenty of things I love about ‚The 12 Step Job‘: I love…

… The montage of Hurley in the car and how he walks into his office. Man, that is one NEAT character introduction because when you first watch this, of course he could pass as an absolute jerk and the baddie of the week – despite the client‘s description of him as enthusiastic and sweet. But at the same time this is just how he is later on in this ep and when he returns in The Boys‘ Night Out Job: An absolute slob and a complete mess but also very congenial (how much he knows about all his co-workers? Sweet) and with his heart in the right place.

… Nate being a complete dick and so fucking in denial about his alcohol problem here. I haven‘t watched season one in a while and it‘s so interesting how his and Sophie‘s relationship is so different here (the biggest shift of course being between s2 and s3 where Nate decides to take a vacation in prison and Sophie runs the crew in the meantime – this changes things forever). But it‘s so cool how Gina‘s acting walks the thin line between being the one who is absolutely in the right here and being just that bit annoying that allows Nate to justify implying that she‘s overly dramatic

… Eliot‘s hair is ON FIRE in that episode, wow and that blue shirt *chef‘s kiss*

… how the team works together in figuring out where Hurley might be. Yes, it‘s season one and Nate is very much calling the shots – and he is the one narrowing it down here – but Eliot and Hardison specifically absolutely pitch in.

… Sophie‘s and Eliot‘s little eyeroll at Hardison‘s dropping strip club knowledge

… ‘if Billy was a drunken sex fiend’ – hahaha, Parker, spot on as always – and Eliot‘s and Hardison‘s responding expressions. Come on, boys, don‘t deny it, you‘re in love with her already.

… that look on Nate‘s face when he figures out how to find Hurley. His whole expression changes, his gaze focusses, he leans forward and that drunken haze is gone for the moment

… how Eliot and Hardison constantly share the same frame <3

… Eliot‘s little DELIGHTED smile. Okay, his and Hardison‘s delight in strip joints doesn‘t quite fit later seasons, so we all can just agree that Hardison asking for change for 100 in singles is just because they really want to tip generously for the chicken wings there or something :)

… Eliot‘s and Hardison‘s synchronized walk off

… ‘Don‘t get mad, Eliot, I may have spilled slushie in your car’ and his badly acted expression of contrition hahaha, no one is buying that, Hardison

… Eliot and Hardison being extremely sexy in sitting in Eliot’s car (and as so often, look at the perfect way that shot is lit! Hardison’s and Eliot’s faces both fricking glow)

… very smartly dressed random thugs

… the messy way the fight scene is shot – close ups and very wobbly camera moves, and how you can still tell how efficiently Eliot fights and how… well not all that efficiently Hardison is. And yes, again, it’s season one, so Hardison grabs the gun and shoots it, too, instead of just sitting back and chilling while he watches Eliot beat people up (which is way better than the strip joint idea anyway)

… Eliot being annoyed with Hardison

… ‘Is he sleeping?’ LOL, yes, Sophie, that’s why Hurley is using the air bag as a pillow

… Nate looking progressively more like the absolute mess he is as the episode progresses

… - how confusing is it that Sterling’s Theme is used and Sterling isn’t immediately around the next corner? That is SO cool because yes, he shows up later, or rather: withdrawal!Nate hallucinates him; and so his theme music this early in the episode is almost like foreshadowing

… everyone in group therapy apparently understanding Sam perfectly well aside from Nate

… Parker having to read from the cheat sheet she wrote onto her lower arm to get her three-sentence-character-intro right

… Hurley’s massive list of addiction, with the climax of “Tacos”

… “Uh-huh” - and Sophie and Nate having another fight while everyone else in the group is already tired of it. Especially Parker, if one were to judge by her VERY subtle expressions.

… Parker aggressively chewing on the meds the doctor gave her. I absolutely LOVE the way she constantly gives other people this uncensored WTF-look in season one

… Eliot being smart in the parking lot. I have so much love and respect for how that’s played here again – Eliot is the one who has to have 360 vision, it’s his job to anticipate problems in all forms and sizes

… Hardison’s bricks-on-the-seat plan. That’s so great because he might be the smartest guy Eliot knows TM, but he is fucking afraid here and panicking and that’s not conducive to coming up with super clever plans, is it?

… Hardison and Eliot working together while bitching at one another - “Yes, there are a lot of wires! It’s a Com-Pu-Ter!!”

… Hardison’s brain rebooting as he figures out that it’s a computer bomb and the system needs to be re-booted

… Eliot trusting Hardison’s knowledge, and Christian’s acting here – knowing Hardison is right, being low key annoyed by it, being just a bit unsettled (that lip quiver!) “Run that sack of bricks by me again...” - “Are you ready?” - “NO!” and his trembling hand - he is so good at rapidly changing expressions and tones

… “I’m gonna go and freshen up a little bit. Maybe cry a little”

… Hardison thinking on his feet and that sweet Jamaican accent – Eliot thinking that is sexy, and backing him up with a bomb

… and again, Kane’s acting – that beat and that look before he says “Sure” when Hardison asks whether he’d have saved him as well

… Nate’s withdrawal. So well done. Over all, the show is SO good at showing that alcoholism is a sickness and a serious problem, even if (especially if!) Nate doesn’t acknowledge it

… HARDISON AND ELIOT’S DATE AT THE RECEPTION DESK. - So, while in the scene before, Hardison takes the lead in acting their way out of the situation, here it’s Eliot by shamelessly flirting with the receptionist. And Hardison’s FACE throughout this. Like, bro, do we have time for this? DO WE? - And then “I’m with him”. And Eliot trying so hard not to burst into laughter, especially when Hardison is doing that thing he is famous for which is shamelessly over-acting just to piss Eliot off. - The ringing of the reception bell and “Bring yo ass”. And none of that even being mentioned in the next scene. - So much quality content in this episode.

… Sophie taking over for Nate when Nate very obviously can’t, and her tone of voice changing to what we’ll get to know from season three Sophie

… Parker coming up with a believable story and selling it. Up to the point where her make believe parents found gold under their trailer…

… Nate’s withdrawal getting worse, Tim’s acting is brilliant here.

… Sophie talking differently to Nate than before. Yes, she still seems to focus on Nate and how Nate is being a dick to them and particularly her, but her voice is different and she uses the real emotion between her and Nate’s exchange to get what they need from Hurley; the list of people he wronged. Brilliant little twist here, because of course Sophie is focused on the con and on helping their client, especially now that Nate is threatening to lose his focus entirely

… that Genesis? Veeeeery subtle product placement, Leverage hahaha

… “I checked your notes - he seems like a deeply troubled man” - Thank you, doctor, yeah. Nate IS a deeply troubled man. And again: Nate’s withdrawal getting much worse, and the con threatening to get out of hand. I said it before, and I’ll say it again: It’s really great how they used this episode to focus so much on Nate’s alcoholism. It’s something so important not only for later seasons but also for the upcoming s1 finale, and we’ve watched enough episodes at this point that we understand WHY this happened to him. And this episode doesn’t offer an easy fix, nor do the following seasons. “Just give me something to do” is what Nate says here, and Sophie has to decide whether or not this is really the right thing to do

… “He is an addict, he knows how to manipulate people, my father was an addict, my grandfather was an addict, I know how these people operate” - yes, Nate, we know who you’re talking about. And so does Sophie

… Sterling as the one Nate hallucinates. Because Sterling knows him, because they used to be friends, because Sterling is as ruthless as Nate is (well, nearly), because Nate is still projecting and in denial that he is in fact talking about himself. So what does he do? He imagines his former friend who is now on the other side, chasing him. - I’m not too big a fan of Sterling in later seasons but this is such a STELLAR use of his character, and Mark’s acting is brilliant here, and so is, of course, Tim’s.

… “Knocking on heaven’s door” - ouch

… Nate’s aggression towards Hurley, first in a physical form and that is scary but also less dangerous because it’s unfocused; and then when his mind has something to focus on, that sharp sharp focus – fuck, he’s one scary dude indeed, it’s rather disconcerting that one is looking at Hurley for emotional reassurance in this scene…

… Parker’s strange walk because of her meds and the return on her focus when her thief-self kicks back in

… “If you’re doing it to help someone, doesn’t that make it okay?” Good question, Hurley. Your answer, Nate?

… Nate shoving Hurley in the hallway rather than explaining what’s going on. Funny, and sliiiightly sloppy, Mr Ford

...Tacos :)

… Eliot and Hardison sharing the same level of annoyance and then acceptance. So in tune in this episode, these two

… re-using that bomb. Everyone does their part in sustainability and careful usage of resources ;)

… the thugs thinking the bomb thing was done by the Jamaicans, aka Hardison and Eliot

… Eliot’s and Hardison’s reservations in the flashback. “Uh---why?” from Hardison and Eliot’s emphatic headshake

… the cash in the tire. Very practical choice, Hurley

… HURLEY JUST WANTS A HUG

… Hardison going the extra mile with Hurley’s new identity by getting him a gym membership

… Parker’s brilliant drawing!!!

… Parker smelling the Sharpie

… Parker running, PARKER HUGGING ELIOT AND HARDISON!!!! OT3!!!

… and that song, that is a variation of “What shall we do with the drunken sailor”, right?

Seriously, this is such a dark episode for Leverage standards because of that focus on Nate’s addiction, and yet, it’s counterbalanced by so much Hardison/Eliot fun and competence porn, by Sophie’s strength and by the fact that the villain of the week has a redemption arc. I love this show so much and this mix shows why again; such a delicate balance, so beautifully handled

#leverage #nate ford #sophie deveraux #eliot spencer #alec hardison #parker #Things I Love About #The Twelve Steps Job

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fugandhi · 3 years

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Why We Rise (A Meditation on Humanity)

by Adam Kenichi Wekarski

The time has come for me to write about Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy (and why it is the most important cinematic franchise of our time). *Please purchase & view the franchise in it’s entirety prior to reading this independent essay. Spoilers are No Fun for Anyone. SUPPORT The STORYTELLERS*

Although it’s a story derived from a comic book, this is not a movie franchise to be taken lightly (or for granted for that matter). Christopher Nolan’s film, “Memento” was the first work he had accomplished that I had ever seen (back in the Blockbuster days - ahem, VHS RULES!) and it is still spinnin’ my mind after all this time. Christopher Nolan ALWAYS delivers some form of ground-breaking excellence in his work - his ‘Dark Knight’ Franchise is no exception.

When one thinks of Batman, it’s very easy to consider the various forms (literature, animation, cinema, video games, etc) of said character (God Bless You, Adam West! R.I.P., Good Sir!). SO many INCREDIBLE & [BEYOND] TALENTED folks have, not only performed as the character, but have helped in shaping this character’s Monumental & Positive Imprint on contemporary society (worldwide).

I still believe Christian Bale is one of the most under-appreciated performers of our time. I first saw him in the Dark Comedy, “American Psycho” (DUDE! Holy Smack-a-RONi! Totally Bonkers & Viciously frightening). I still can’t believe he did not receive an Academy Award nomination for that performance (for shame, HollyWould). As much as I love Tim Robbins (SHAWSHANK, BaBY!), Christian Bale is one of the greatest actors of all time (100% WITHOUT A DOUBT). He plays Bruce Wayne PERFECTLY (TOTALLY the BEST Bruce Wayne OF ALL TIME! DONE! NO ARGUMENT! END-ALL-BE-ALL..”..Been there, Done that - got the album, Bought the Tee-shirt..NEXT” (Ricky Gervais, The Office [UK]). CHRISTIAN BALE DESERVED AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR “The Dark Knight Rises” - I’M SAYING IT - HE DID SUCH A PERFECT PERFORMANCE in (Yeah ALL Caps) this entire franchise. I need to address that because so many folks seemed to be swept-up in their own distractions as viewers (Yeah we get it, he disguised his voice with a growl - get over it, ya’ll). He seems to be a good person (‘seems’ being the operative word) & I’ve read about his efforts in his life off-screen (You are a Good Man, Sir) when the cameras are not around. I have a belief that it’s good for people to appreciate those ‘moments-of-truth’ more often (just one person’s opinion, take it or leave it).

Speaking of ‘moments-of-truth’ - This story (spanning across three EPIC films) is the ultimate moment-of-truth for Sir Christopher Nolan (Why Not?; He actually is CBE apparently; Respect) and his AMAZING Production TEAM’s collective efforts. So many people put their well-being on the line to make these stories happen (some even, their lives, Rest in Peace) and I believe this franchise deserves ALL of the Success & Recognition & Praise (and honestly, Time) for the awe-inspiring efforts put forth (in regards to cinematic storytelling). This is a franchise for the fans (due to how well it honors the source material & simultaneously manages to elevate the art-form).

Bruce Wayne is one of the most important modern characters of our time. Not since the days of Jesus Christ, himself, has there even been someone who sparked a universal impact (sorry ‘Supes’ - You & Ol’ ‘Batsy’ are Tied in my book) upon average people worldwide. Granted - Bruce Wayne is NO Jesus (there can only be one), however, his life’s journey is a true Test of Faith, which is a universal lesson that I firmly believe Jesus Christ was attempting to spread in his message of good faith towards one another.

Bruce Wayne (played by Christian Bale & Gus Lewis, respectively), as it is now [mostly known], was born an heir to The Wayne Family, an age-old empire in modern society (Gotham City, U.S.A.). In Christopher Nolan’s particular take on this (now-classic) SuperHero story - Reality is the cinematic setting.

“Batman Begins” is Nolan’s homage to Richard Donner’s “Superman”, having been THE standard for comic book movies (since the late 1970’s if I’m not mistaken). Having obviously been a fan of Donner’s work (Gee, who isn’t?) - it’s an obvious source-of-influence for the first installment in Christopher Nolan’s Perfect Epic.

When I had first discovered the news that Christopher Nolan was Warner Bros. Studios’ choice for a brand new Batman reboot - I have to admit I was VERY optimistic. After having seen “Memento”, and his work with that incredible team - I was very, very optimistic that for ONCE the Batman universe was going to be actually depicted like it is in the comic books (at least the ‘80s Batman Comics - Hello Dark & Gritty Vibes). Considering the mental intensity of “Memento” (and how linear-storytelling-need-not-apply) - I was absolutely curious to see how well the story would finally be done on-screen (with all due respect to Tim Burton & Joel Schumacher & All previous efforts achieved in the known story-telling community). After all is said and done, this franchise is a ‘Grand Slam’.

Christopher Nolan’s version of Milton “Bill” Finger’s (Bob Kane took all of the credit for Bill’s work; for shame) story of Bruce Wayne/Batman is the most inspiring work I’ve seen achieved on the concept (and characters) to this day. With the initial tone set in the first film - we find a young Bruce Wayne as a child - simply playing in the Wayne family’s garden with his best (& childhood) friend (and one of the most important characters in the franchise): Rachel Dawes (played by Katie Holmes, Emma Lockhart, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, respectively). Bruce & Rachel establish the innocence of childhood (and of our main protagonist) with the playful phrase, “Finders Keepers” which is followed by young Bruce falling into an old dried-out well (which then traps him into a slight crevice, filled with Bats).

As we discover in this story, the symbol of Batman has a rather deeper meaning to Bruce Wayne than what had been initially expected (unless if you’re a fan of the comics). When the first film starts to take form, we find Bruce Wayne lost in the depths of ‘hell’ as an adult man. Having been an heir to a Family’s Kingdom (so-to-speak), Bruce Wayne had lost his Mother & Father; Martha & Thomas Wayne (SUCH Good People) at a tragically-early age, having their lives taken by a lost soul in the dark of night (a reality known, all-too-well, by our own collective experiences as a contemporary society).

Martha & Thomas Wayne establish the core values that help shape Bruce Wayne as an Individual. Their Leadership, their knowledge, their wisdom, their love (their faith). All of their finest attributes shine a light on how the community - the city of Gotham (and their actions as people) help shape said community. Without their Faith, Bruce Wayne’s immediate world probably wouldn’t have even been established for him (perhaps). It is that faith that is the driving force of this franchise, and the greatest tragedy of this film is, indeed, the blatant & cold-blooded murder of Martha & Thomas Wayne. Ya know, they were really good people in terms of their contributions to their household & community & their lives, and they truly cared about their impact on the world (in a greater sense).

With such care, they made important choices (that had an effect on everyone in Gotham, regardless of outlook). Choices that made a necessary difference in, not only their home, but in their overall world. Gotham may be fictional, but I will let the fantasy play and I will acknowledge the tremendous amount of detail put into these stories that went unnoticed in the initial ‘life’ of this franchise’s release. Having said that - Unless if memory serves inaccurate, this film received a lot of unwarranted criticism for the realistic depiction of modern violence (due to the UNGodly public shooting(s) that have been taking place in our country; I acknowledge the real-life tragedies, but also acknowledge the importance of artistic vision). I say unwarranted due to the fact that Christopher Nolan managed to hold up a mirror and we need to pay close attention (and look beyond the glamour & simulated violence), and this was accomplished well-before Todd Phillips’ incredible film “Joker” had been produced (which drew plenty of inspiration from Nolan’s signature style and Heath Ledger’s actual development of said character; Joker’s Journal).

At the core of this story is Faith.

Faith is what was instilled in Martha & Thomas Wayne (and their lessons with Bruce as a boy). Alfred Pennyworth (played Beautifully by Sir Michael Caine in a Nomination-worthy performance for Best Supporting Actor in my humble opinion) is the reinforcement to protect the Wayne Family’s Honor & Good Name. On the surface, Mr. Pennyworth is Bruce Wayne’s Butler, however, when he’s not maintaining the Wayne fortune, he is ‘the guiding light’ (no pun intended) in Bruce Wayne’s Journey (despite the efforts of various opposition). While Rutger Hauer (rest his soul; “BLIND FURY”!!! YES!) had set the tone for what was to come later in young Bruce Wayne’s life (at the funeral for Martha & Thomas Wayne) - it becomes abundantly clear that Bruce Wayne has quite the journey ahead of him in his life (with plenty of whom have pre-developed plans & agendas to seize Wayne Enterprises for their own gain).

Bruce Wayne, born of a Mother & Father, heir to “the throne” (as it were), and thriving billionaire, one day decides to leave it all behind. It’s a moment of internal crisis for our protagonist due to the severely traumatic act of witnessing the death of his own parents (while almost being murdered himself). I know a lot of people think Kal-El (aka ‘Superman’, aka ‘Clark Kent’) is the end-all be-all of Superheroes (myself included), however, after a retrospective look back at Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy it becomes abundantly clear just how much credit this franchise did NOT receive from the critics & the artistic community (Hi, Academy. I’m lookin’ at ya’ll). Despite the worldwide acclaim, I believe this franchise was well ahead of it’s time in terms of the most important aspect of the entire achievement - The Story.

This is a franchise fully-devoted to the story and that is a significant contributor to the success of this version of Batman. I grew up watching old reruns on TV of Adam West & Burt Ward going around and ‘CLEANING-SOME-CLOCKS’ as it were (POW! ZAM! KLAM! CHOWDAH!), and I always hold that version near-and-dear to my heart because I still think the early 1960’s version of Batman was really fun & really awesome & an absolute delight. Plain & simple. ..Granted - as time continued and the characterization of Bruce Wayne (and his alter-ego “Batman”; His Armor; His Protective Shield) had advanced & developed into a new ground (conceptually-speaking). The core values of who Bruce Wayne is, where he comes from, and Why he does [what he does] did not truly become profoundly-realized for me until I’d say when the Animated series (1990’s! DUDE still one of the best Animated Series I’ve ever seen; like ‘a fine wine of cartoons’). “The Mask of The Phantasm” is still one of the best Batman stories I’ve ever seen - Such an incredible origin story for Bruce Wayne - and definitely one of the best animated, full-length features I had ever seen as a kid (Not to discount Tim Burton’s gothic-induced-dream-like version of the knight’s tale).

With Christopher Nolan’s contribution to the overall storyline of Batman - we truly have a Masterpiece Trilogy before us (as audience members). Nolan’s take on Batman is truly like no other (even surpassing efforts that preceded the franchise) in that he actually provides a glimpse into what it would look like if the fantasy actually became a reality. Christopher Nolan achieves that goal (Ten-fold) with this trilogy.

In the first film - what we know about Batman becomes hyper-realized with the emphasis on Bruce Wayne’s life in modern-day America (Gotham City being the quintessential metropolitan All-American city). An America that has succumbed to an overall tone of darkness & hopelessness (with the reality of tangible corruption & streets of truly deadly conditions) which has reached a pinnacle-of-suffering for the good people of Gotham (and perhaps, rippled outward into the rest of the world).

Jim Gordon (played PERFECTLY by Gary Oldman, one of the finest performing actors ever to be on screen), a symbol of Gotham’s defeated Law Enforcement, patrols the streets of Gotham City each night. Jim Gordon is one of the key individuals that Bruce Wayne reaches out towards (in his pre-Knight regalia) in the first stages of ‘Batman Begins’. Jim Gordon was the person who wrapped the coat around (a young) Bruce Wayne’s shoulders after his parents had been needlessly-murdered right before his very eyes. Jim Gordon was the one who kneeled to Bruce’s level, acknowledged his loss, and gave him that moment of kindness & warmth & honest-to-God decency. He acknowledged Bruce’s sorrow & loss with grace. He gave him a moment of simple human decency & kindness for the sake of kindness itself.

Jim Gordon’s kind gesture is merely a moment in time, which made all the difference for a young kid who just needed someone to simply be there for him. A moment that showed Bruce Wayne that Goodness & Human Decency can & does still exist in the world despite a traumatically-life-changing tragedy. Jim Gordon’s simple, nearly effortless act, is a sign that people Do honor good faith (and people who truly deserve it) and the good Do get rewarded.

I really like the character Bruce Wayne. I think he’s a better character than most that I’ve ever seen, especially since he actually has character. It’s a shame that people can not see beyond the surface to find the deeper meaning of this story. Bruce Wayne’s [incredible] journey takes place all over the world. When we find him in ‘..Begins’, he is locked up in the ominous mountains of Bhutan. His home now a desolate wasteland of an existence due to his loss. His tragedy (despite Jim Gordon’s act of kindness) had lead him astray and brought him across the other part of the world (only to discover what it truly means to suffer in poverty & hunger & pain & strife & darkness without any means of comfort). As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Bruce’s path is the ‘path-of-most-resistance.’ Rather than succumb to a frivolous, meaningless, and hollow existence - Bruce Wayne took the path rarely taken. He chose his own path, to earn his own personal truth, his own story to be lived & known (and eventually discovered by Gotham City).

When Bruce meets an unusual individual by the name of ‘Ducard’ (aka Ra’s al Ghul; aka Liam Neeson; Also played simultaneously by the honorable Ken Watanabe, respectively) in his own ‘personal hell’, Ducard feeds into Bruce’s fall from the path of grace (and his spiritual confusion). Ra’s al Ghul/Ducard is only interested in one thing: controlling Bruce Wayne. As Ra’s al Ghul is the quintessential ‘Handler’, or ‘Hypnotist’ of Bruce Wayne in the training period for Bruce Wayne’s spiritual journey - it becomes evident with each effort from Wayne that Ra’s al Ghul represents The Devil (aka ‘The Prince of Darkness’, ‘Satan’, ‘Lucifer’; The ‘Shadow Side’ of Saturn; See “Yikes!”; See “YOWZA”; See “Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wife”; No Disrespect To The Coven; See Not My Lord; See God Protect Me).

From the moment we first-see Ra’s al Ghul - he is shrouded in darkness - lurking in the shadows within each unseen corner of the world - the proverbial serpent of the shadows (so-to-say). In a manner of speaking, Ra’s al Ghul is merely one of many faces throughout the story that showcase the forces of darkness in this particular cinematic legacy (from the depths of darkness, here to possess the living). Ra’s al Ghul attempts to indoctrinate Bruce Wayne (in Bad Faith) in the Bhutanese abyss; a wasteland for the damned (and where the death of hope thrives amidst the stone-prison-walls). Despite Ra’s al Ghul’s efforts - Bruce Wayne not only proves to be the most-prominent under-study of the cult (while being initiated into a secret society; a clandestine fraternity; a subversive order of assassins following an ancient practice (unknown & unseen by the blissful light of day).

Bruce Wayne’s prominence during his training cycle with ‘The League of Shadows’ (an appropriate title) shows us that he surpasses even Ra’s al Ghul’s expectations: showing how the student becomes the teacher (by upholding an authentic approach to having a Personal Moral Code & Justice & Ethical Values). Bruce Wayne is not only faster, stronger, and smarter than Ra’s al Ghul - Bruce Wayne is also wiser. Due to Wayne’s parents (and his friendships) he truly is ‘the shining example’ of true justice that Ra’s al Ghul has yet to achieve in life (due to his obsessive wrath).

Having destroyed the League of Shadows’ initiation grounds & temple of darkness - Bruce Wayne LITERALLY SAVES RA’S AL GHUL’S LIFE. ‘True Colors’ does not even begin to define such a moment for our protagonist (that’s a true sign of Mercy).

Despite Bruce Wayne saving Ra’s al Ghul’s life, afterwards the dude STILL tries to come back and kill Bruce AND Gotham City (Showing how The Devil has No Mercy for Anything, Anyone, or Anywhere and is just flat-out unwilling to acknowledge when something good actually does happen). Granted, at the end of “Batman Begins” we discover how Martha and Thomas Wayne were murdered as a direct result of Ra’s al Ghul & The League of Shadows (and their hatred for all things Gotham City & Western Civilization). It’s a diabolical reveal that the devil holds nothing sacred in the sanctity of human life. The devil will literally kill an angel after having been saved by said angel. In fact, Bruce Wayne’s own personal brush with death is (tragically) a common concern of not only Alfred, but Lucius Fox (played exquisitely by one Morgan Freeman), a former Board-Member & former colleague of Thomas Wayne (prior to his passing).

Bruce shows us that good people typically make a lot of good friends and have good people looking out for one’s best interest (no matter their walk of life). The most awe-inspiring truth of Bruce Wayne/Batman is that his ‘best interest’ is preserving & honoring the good faith of his community and the people in his life (including his ancestors, mind-you, as well as the herculean guidance of one Alfred Pennyworth). Without friends - life goes nowhere - that’s a universal truth. Bruce Wayne nearly died so many times in this trilogy and I don’t think people appreciate that aspect of these movies. This is an individual who literally put his life on the line to save the soul of the city he loves (wanting nothing other than a good, normal, & happy life). I know people only fixate on ‘the How’, but I think ‘the Why’ is the most important element of Bruce Wayne’s fictional example.

Bruce Wayne (as all of us) exists for a reason. His life (albeit fictional) does have an important purpose in the grand scheme of things (as one puts it).

Of course, this reason is emphasized (more & more) by his best friend, Rachel Dawes (among others). It’s a shame that Katie Holmes did not portray Rachel Dawes in both of the first two films, however, I found it to be very impressive [just] how smoothly Maggie Gyllenhaal performed as the character. It’s one of the rare instances in which a character is portrayed by two different performers who both managed to bring an equal amount of dignity & respect to said character. Katie Holmes & Maggie Gyllenhaal should both be applauded for their contributions & performance(s) as the grown-up portrayal of Rachel Dawes.

Rachel Dawes is the positive-female-influence in Bruce Wayne’s life (complimentary to that of Alfred Pennyworth’s positive-male-influence; or non-gender-specific-neutral-influence? Sure, why not) that is necessary to develop his respect & honor towards women (which is a necessary element of chivalry). Chivalry is not dead in America: The examples set before us can be found within our own real-life society (I shall go into that more later..).

More important than Rachel Dawes’ positive influence on Bruce Wayne is her genuine friendship (since their childhood). Rachel is not interested in taking advantage of Bruce or using him for her own personal gain. Rachel Dawes genuinely cares about Bruce Wayne and how well the quality of his life (as well as the life of the community) have grown. Rachel Dawes shows Bruce what is occurring in the streets of Gotham on a daily basis. Rachel is living, breathing, working, and seeing what has become of Gotham City - a limping giant of a once-prominent-city (Modern-Day America in a nutshell). Rachel Dawes reminds Bruce Wayne of the importance of Good People Taking Ownership of One’s Community. She reminds him that life is not only about one’s own personal pain, but alas, the collective pain of which a community must endure & resolve (as a said community) with good faith; “It’s not about who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.”

In the second act of Nolan’s Cinematic Epic, “The Dark Knight” - Bruce Wayne encounters the tangible result of Newton’s Third Law: for every action there is an equal (or greater) reaction; hence ‘The Joker’ (played enormously by the late Heath Ledger; Rest in Peace).

The Joker is the response to Bruce Wayne’s actions in the first act, and in every way, he is Bruce Wayne’s exact opposite (albeit opposites, their life paths are balancing on the same proverbial axis of existence). Bruce Wayne is a reflection of light while The Joker is a product of darkness (Negative Energy, Pessimism, Hate, Evil, Unhappiness, Pain, Suffering, Misery, Torment, Violence, & Trauma). While Batman is the answer to corrupt forces in Gotham City - The Joker is the reaction to The Bat-Man.

The Joker is the continuation of opposing forces attempting to infiltrate Bruce Wayne’s life & community (as would a specter in the shadows, a spider in the darkest reaches of lunacy; a.k.a. the absence of faith, the inversion of angels; i.e. Demons, Demonic Entities, Dark Deities, etc). The Joker represents everything evil in society - everything sick, everything sad, everything hurt. To The Joker (and the fools before him) - society is an infestation, a plague, a result of toxicity & corruption (especially the light of which darkness cannot fathom). Batman is the antithesis to Joker’s Chaos. Batman is the collective honor & balance of civility & justice & good faith quantified into one symbolic rogue.

Heath Ledger’s performance of Joker was nothing short of awe-inspiring artistry & workmanship (WorkPERSONship?). His passing was a needless tragedy and although his performance garnered him numerous accolades - I wish he did not have to die in order to attain it (It should have been him accepting the award - it should have been him). Without a doubt, an equal to Joaquin Phoenix’s performance (if not Superior) - I still acknowledge Heath Ledger’s ground-breaking performance as a perfect triumph of Acting (although I think the character is absolutely distorted on all accounts; despite Joker’s persuasive wit).

Many people like to compare Joaquin Phoenix & Heath Ledger’s performance(s) as The Joker (folks compare everything in life), and I think both performances stand strongly on equal ground. Total Perfection. No doubt about it - and one kinda goes with the other if you were to align the vision side-by-side. Of course I love me some Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton’s “Batman” - I think he gave an undeniably frightening & charismatic performance just as Ledger & Phoenix (proof of the character’s universal & artistic appeal). Although Heath Ledger’s performance shall always be praised as a definitive milestone in Acting on Film - I still think the character is a twisted f**k (pardon my American).

Not only does Joker attempt to destroy Bruce Wayne’s personal Faith, but also everyone he cares about in his life, and everyone in the entire city of Gotham, USA. The pitiful tragedy of Joker’s existence is the sad truth that he lacks good faith in not only himself, but the people of Gotham, and the one individual who is genuinely trying to make a good difference in the world: Bruce Wayne.

It is a tragedy & a disgrace to humankind that Rachel Dawes & Harvey Dent (played by the Always-Excellent Aaron Eckhart) died in vain (as Thomas & Martha before them). It’s a sin that the Joker did what he did to everyone in Gotham City. It’s unGodly that so many human beings had to lose their lives, needlessly, just because of one individual’s own loss of innocence, and more specific, his loss of personal faith in his life (and in the world, of which, we live). The reason why Joker is dangerous is because he is the quintessential ‘mass shooter.’ He is the terrorist. He is the result of a society that has forgotten him. He is the reason why so many people struggle & suffer in contemporary society - not because he caused it, but because he fed into it - preying on the life force of humanity & destroying the efforts of truly good people who kept striving to save the soul of humanity (within the framework of a struggling eco-system).

If Bruce Wayne did not have friends he would have been dead in the first act of the story - that is a fact. When Dr. Jonathan (Not ‘Frasier’) Crane (aka ‘The Scarecrow’) had attacked Batman (in ‘Begins’) with the weaponized hallucinogens, Bruce Wayne was almost killed. If it was not for Alfred Pennyworth & Lucius Fox, Bruce would have been dead in the streets of Gotham. The consistent importance of Friendship is quite evident when thinking of Bruce Wayne’s network of acquaintances (both in ‘high’ & ‘low’ places) in the city of Gotham. This also applies in the opposite, with Bruce becoming an important (and powerful) friend to certain individuals of Gotham City (in return).

Friendship is a universal quality of humanity that should be cherished & honored. Friendship, like everything, requires effort. Bruce Wayne’s life requires effort even though he is a “billionaire playboy” - he still has struggles just like anyone else, and he shares the struggle with his friends (since they became a sort of surrogate family; more like extended-family; legal & spiritual guardians). Bruce Wayne is a fictional example that no one is free from life’s struggle and life’s personal challenges & lessons (no matter the ‘advantages’ or ‘upbringing’). It’s a sign of brilliance on behalf of the conceptual team behind the vision of The Dark Knight Trilogy. I know a lot of people focus on the action sequences and the drama of the theatrical dance of Light & Dark play out on screen in the form of the Batman & the Joker, but beneath the surface is a sincere sociological & political commentary (and spiritual message).

The Light & The Dark (i.e. Positive & Negative, God & Lucifer, Heaven & Hell, Angels & Demons, the Good & the Bad vibes, The Upward Infinity & The Downward Spiral, etc, etc, etc): it is at the fundamental core of our collective balance of existence; Life as we know it to be. It is my humble understanding that the eternal balance is a necessary process, it requires effort on both sides. Both Light & Dark must cooperate to preserve the equinox-of-existence (just one person’s opinion based off of observation & objective analysis, take it or leave it).

The death of Bruce Wayne’s best friend, Rachel Dawes, was not only a tragedy in Bruce’s life, it was a tragedy for innocence. She was so angelic & kind & giving & honorable & brave - her Faith is what helped Bruce remember his childhood innocence (before he was robbed of said innocence), and her last words (which were concealed from Bruce due to desperate-times-call-for-desperate-measures; see Alfred Pennyworth), she continued to spread the message of Good Faith in Humanity despite the fact that she was needlessly murdered. A defining attribute of Rachel Dawes’ character is one-in-the-same as Martha and Thomas Wayne - the Belief & Faith in Humanity despite the monumental heartache & loss (and yes, trauma & death).

If one recalls the time in the first act when Alfred was bringing Bruce Wayne back from the mountains of Bhutan - Alfred briefly mentions how Bruce Wayne’s ancestors’ tireless efforts to keep their community alive (even at the worst of times) nearly made them bankrupt. It was their tireless dedication (their faith) that paved the way to set a foundation for future generations to prosper (while honoring the efforts of said ancestors). Although their example did not improve Gotham’s economic prosperity overnight, the murder of Martha & Thomas Wayne set the wealthy of Gotham into action (as the story goes).

Bruce Wayne comes from a long lineage of helpers. Helpful People who are Good. People who want to see the best results out of humanity’s efforts (as a whole). People who believe in the power of the individual, and the social end-result of one individual’s tireless faith (and life choices).

Although Bruce Wayne’s ancestors are not the focal point of Batman, they are his bloodline & family’s history which in it’s own right deserves to be honored & respected (I know this is a fictional character, but roll with me here, people HahaHA).

Yes, “The Dark Knight” consists of nothing short of complete Mayhem, and YES, The Joker may make ya pee a little bit (just a little), and maybe even laugh (the writing is pretty damn genius in my humble opinion). I acknowledge that “The Dark Knight” should have been nominated for Best Picture (Double that for “The Dark Knight Rises”), and I acknowledge that Christian Bale should have been nominated for Best Actor his final performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman (I think he was snubbed, but hey I’m not in the Academy, so what do I know, right? HahaHA).

Speaking of “The Dark Knight Rises”, I still believe it’s the best Batman movie of all time. I understand (and have heard) many folks say “The Dark Knight” was a better movie, however, I believe (on the contrary) that not only is the third act of Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece a testament of cinematic storytelling - it is a testament to just how AWESOME we are when we perform at our best. When we work together, we are at our best (as a country, and as a people).

“The Dark Knight Rises”, at it’s core, is a cyclical nod to everything that was established in the first act of the trilogy (a perfect Full Circle), and of course, is the conclusion of Batman. Every lesson in Bruce Wayne’s life, every struggle, every enemy, every friend - every aspect of Bruce Wayne’s life is interwoven with Gotham City (and the people of Gotham) as he & his friends defend Gotham City (and everyone in it). In “The Dark Knight Rises”, Bruce Wayne has become a Hermit; locked away, half man, half mythos, in an air of mystery & fascination (among the ones who still speak of the elusive figure; a fading memory of a silent guardian). And as a hermit, Bruce has become deeply reclusive due to the Joker’s killing spree in Gotham City nearly a decade prior (while exploiting the sick minds & lost souls who stand for nothing [and truly fall for anything]).

While an average person would possibly accept Bruce Wayne’s physically-defeated, emotionally-scarred, and spiritually-damaged condition - Alfred Pennyworth (God Bless ‘em) does what any individual of Good Faith would do - he encourages Bruce. He sees Bruce as a human being, not as a symbol. He cares about Bruce Wayne’s life, his well-being, his overall fulfillment, and Bruce’s personal happiness. He chose to honor the pact he made with Thomas Wayne to protect the family fortune (most importantly, Bruce). Alfred Pennyworth has his own fascinating & rich history from his own backstory (having been a soldier in his younger years). Fact of the matter is, Alfred never stopped being a soldier at heart. He is True Blue; a true man of the cause; a true Englishman, a true American, and overall a true HUMAN BEING. He is a True Believer of preserving all that is sacred & righteous in our world. He is a Saint and he is a blessing (in contrast to Ra’s al Ghul’s curse-like presence; working in Bad Faith; a destructive force; almost the polar opposite of Alfred).

One thing I love about the final film in Nolan’s titanic, artistic, commercial, & cinematic effort is just how well the Production had managed to pull off the third act (having so many characters and SO much exposition) especially considering the factors that most wouldn’t even consider (i.e. Budget, Lights, Sound, Wardrobe, Set Design, making sure everyone’s hitting their marks, making sure all the stunt-work is safe, making sure it’s all coordinated to the “T” - the amount of brain-storming, conceptualization, the marketing, the pre-production, the principal photography, the post-production, etc etc etc). Movies that require so much of the cast & crew do not always work well, but Warner Bros. & Nolan’s Team somehow managed to actually pull it off. They did what no one else could do - they made Batman real. Christian Bale made Bruce Wayne real. He made Bruce Wayne truly Human (even if just for a moment).

In this day & age (with everything that just happened very recently in our very own United States of America) - one could find a jaw-dropping parallel to what happened when ‘Bane’ came to Gotham City (played ferociously by the envelope-pushing Tom Hardy; see “Bronson”, so gnarly) to what had happened to our own U.S. Capitol.

Bane is the darkness (cloaked with brute force) that feeds off of the fear of humanity. Bane is a product of The League of Shadows (with Hardy’s vocal performance being a nod to UK & Ireland Bare-Knuckle-Boxing Champion, Bartley “King of The Gypsies” Gorman), and was actually ex-communicated from the league (so the story goes) by Ra’s al Ghul (himself). Word around the campfire is that Bane is a force of nature (more destructive than known before) and will stop at nothing to ‘fulfill the destiny of Ra’s al Ghul.’ Bane is a result of fringe-Cult-Mind-Control-Indoctrination (a life devoid of pure faith & free-will entirely; typically due to some possible form of sincere trauma and/or loss and governing authority; aka The Darkness).

The legend of Bane is more rumor than fact. He is just as elusive as Batman, and just as evil as Joker (if not more). Bane’s physicality brings Bruce Wayne to his knees in the third act of Nolan’s 3-piece work-of-art, while also providing all of the intellectually-driven rationale (totally psychotic) behind his Madness & Apocalyptic ambitions. Bane is a real-life-threat to Bruce Wayne & Gotham City (and The American Way). Bane represents the overall threat to our way of life (as a humanity). Bane is everything wrong with world leaders & corrupt forces (cultivated into the most toxic physical form); like a deranged & disfigured Churchill who lumbers about (as a lion in a den) in the underground infrastructure of Gotham City’s sewage system (almost as a warped, drug-induced, Shakespearean Emperor). Bane is a deadly force of nature, fueled entirely by the sickness of bad faith; coerced into his own psychosis by probably the most complex & frightening character of the entire series - Talia al Ghul (a.k.a. ‘Miranda Tate’, played unnervingly-well by one Marion Cotillard [the child played by Joey King, respectively]; her performance sends chills up the spine upon numerous viewings).

While introducing Batman & Gotham’s new enemies, some of Bruce’s new friends in the final (and most epic) installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman storyline are Officer [Robin] John Blake (played exceptionally by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and a Wild-Card-Femme-Fatale character by the name of Selina Kyle (a.k.a. ‘Catwoman’, performed very well by Anne Hathaway). Joseph Gordon-Levitt shines as young Patrol Officer Blake - also having been an orphan, like Bruce Wayne, and a true believer in the purpose of Bruce Wayne (Batman) in Gotham City. Unlike Bruce, however, Robin is not a billionaire & Robin was not born into a life of privilege. Despite his brief backstory, Robin Blake, like Bruce Wayne, has Faith in Humanity. It’s why he puts on the uniform (speculative subtext). He does not have the luxury to become Batman, so just as Jim Gordon does - He works with what is given to him. He applies himself within the structure already established within Gotham (despite the restrictions & limitations of said structures of society). He, like ‘Serpico’ before him (see Al Pacino) is a regular Cop who just wants to do what the Law is supposed to do: To Protect & To Serve the good people of Gotham City.

Selina Kyle, on the other hand, is on a path between The Light & The Dark (on a sort of ‘spiritual tight-rope’ between the two paths). Selina’s life path is one of constant survival and constant running. As a ‘Cat Burglar’, Selina Kyle is a flat-out Crook. Her tough exterior conceals what truly is underneath her mask - a person who, too, has faith in humanity (proof that the ones who wander are not lost). Unfortunately for Bruce Wayne, as previously-mentioned, ‘Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures’ - and Selina Kyle’s desperation put Bruce directly into the hands of Bane & The League of Shadows (at a truly disturbing moment in the film). While forces of The League of Shadows’ (combined with a few of Wayne Enterprises’ own ‘bad seeds’, i.e. Daggett, Stryver, etc) disseminate chaos throughout the plot of “The Dark Knight Rises” (by destroying the city of Gotham and exiling Bruce Wayne across the world into a pit of hell) - all of the friends Bruce Wayne has made start to band together to organize a resistance with the surviving members of local (and once-established) authorities. The honor, the people, the community of Gotham City, and the overall driving spirit - the collective faith of the city (as a whole) had been damn-near destroyed entirely in this film. The resistance was born from those of whom are still faithful to their city and the rights of every individual who resides within.

Between the clandestine operations of Robin & his fellow law enforcement officers (all trapped underneath Gotham due to The League’s devastating terrorist attack), the United States Federal Government (and necessary agencies) & Wayne Enterprises (with ‘Miranda Tate’, Lucius Fox, etc), and the awe-inspiring action-sequences in this grand finale - there is no denial that the final installment of The Dark Knight Trilogy is the most realistic & visceral revolutionary epic set in modern-day America. It’s funny when one stops to think that this was all originally based off of a comic book character published by Detective Comics in the late 1930’s. It’s astonishing to think of just how far this fantasy story has evolved throughout the years.

Bruce Wayne is more than a comic book character. Bruce Wayne is a symbol of humanity. That is his ‘superpower’ - his Humanity. He is more than just a person fighting crime to honor his family’s faith & heritage - he is honoring the faith of humanity as it stands today. After all of the corruption & loss & trauma - Bruce Wayne never lost faith in what we have in life (even after losing so many loved ones and frequently having his own life in harm’s way). As he strives to defeat the darkness of Gotham (by striking fear into the hearts of those who prey upon the fearful), the force of darkness continues to rise to attempt to destroy & defeat The Light (Futility at it’s finest).

The greatest villain of all, Batman’s most incredible threat throughout the entire trilogy is actually Talia Al Ghul (Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter & heir to The League of Shadows; the true leader of the cult). She is the one who almost destroys Gotham City (if it wasn’t for Bruce Wayne and everyone who stepped up to do what was right to defend the city).

Although Talia does not fight Batman physically - she is the only villain who ever slept with Batman & exploited him with complete intimacy (seducing Bruce Wayne in a seemingly romantic moment in the film). Talia (still known as “Miranda” by this point in the story), appears innocent & sweet upon first glance, however with multiple viewings of the film, one begins to understand the disturbing nature of what Miranda/Talia is and is Not saying in Bruce Wayne’s presence (a brief glimmer of her spiritual void). Talia al Ghul truly is Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter and her light has been completely stamped out by the fact that she, not Bane, was the one who came out from the pit of hell (as it is revealed in the climax of this epic conclusion). The Devil lurks in many forms - in this particular case, Talia al Ghul displays the darkness as it exists in feminine form. Marion Cotillard was the most over-looked performance of the series (in my personal opinion) and I think as much as Tom Hardy does not get enough credit for his, at times, somewhat Macbethian performance (albeit not as flamboyant as Joker, but even more deadly) - I believe Talia al Ghul is the greatest threat to Gotham City in this trilogy (sorry, fellas).

While magnifying the character of Talia al Ghul, one must acknowledge her natural ability to be a ‘Wolf-in-Sheep’s-Clothing.’ She is the deadliest threat to Humanity due to her belief in a necessary demise of Gotham (seeing Gotham City as a hotbed of hypocrisy & imperialism). Talia al Ghul has no problem burning the barrel over a few bad apples (if that makes sense). While Talia is the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, she was also simultaneously dictating every strategy for The League of Shadows behind closed doors. She is the ‘Queen’, ‘The Head of The Serpent’, The Leader of ‘The Hive.’ She is the quintessential ‘Wicked Witch’, The ‘Bad Girl’, the ‘Goddess’, Kali, Baphomet, etc etc etc). She is an individual, born into a pit of darkness, and exposed to a potentially-life-shattering amount of trauma (based off of the staggering display of complete psychosis; albeit tremendously stealthy & downplayed under her facade of congeniality).

Talia al Ghul is the mastermind who inherited the crown from Ra’s al Ghul’s ‘throne’ (if that makes sense). She is a product of trauma, suffering, & loneliness, but more importantly, a severely sick individual who needs some serious mental & emotional help (more than Joker & Harley Quinn combined) and is the deadliest foe of all (due to her intellect & internalized rage & female fury & her knowledge of all things Gotham & Bruce Wayne/Batman). Talia al Ghul, like Batman, is a force of nature; especially due to her complete cutthroat tactics and inversion of personal Faith in Humanity. Talia al Ghul initially comes across as a meek & angelic person, responsible for the credibility & success of Wayne Enterprises. Her entire life, however, has been dedicated towards the infiltration of Gotham City, USA, and she is the only character in the film who is truly superior to Bruce Wayne in terms of sheer will-power (He caught up to her in the end though). What saves Bruce Wayne is his network of friends (Alfred, Jim Gordon, Lucius, Robin, Selina, etc), in addition to his mind, body, & spirit (once they attain alignment).

I don’t know what others have said, but I think Robin & Catwoman were actually done brilliantly in “The Dark Knight Rises.” Robin was a pleasant surprise for me as a viewer (truth be told; although I thought Ryan Gosling (GOS!) would have made an amazing Robin in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’; much respect for Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and Selina Kyle/Catwoman is fascinating due to her being the wild card of the last film (that truly helped level the playing-field; Girl-Power).

Catwoman, unlike Batman & Robin, is a big question mark throughout the majority of the last film. Her presence is just as elusive & threatening as Talia’s, however, Catwoman (unlike Talia al Ghul), underneath it all, is a Good Person trapped in a bad situation. That is a common thread in this storyline - Good people being in bad places (i.e. Jim Gordon, Lucius Fox, Rachel Dawes, Harvey Dent, etc). On the flip side of the coin - there are plenty of bad folks in good places amidst Gotham’s corrupt forces (i.e. Dr. Crane/Scarecrow, Carmine Falcone, Judge Faden, Detective Ramirez, Detective Wuertz, etc). It’s a reality known all too well in our modern society.

When one observes the overall arc of Bruce Wayne’s transformational life experiences in Nolan’s Comic Book Epic - I have to reiterate the notion of duality consistently interwoven within each one of these films. Light & Dark - Good & Evil - Positive & Negative - the eternal dance - it is the driving force of this franchise (as Bruce is the quintessential “Light Worker” - not that I’m soliciting ‘New Age’ [or ‘Old Age’ for that matter] ideologies, just a matter-of-saying). Bruce Wayne symbolizes The Light of God found in human form (at the very core and most-primary form of what Natives call, “The Great Spirit”, respectively), of which must seize the day to tame the night. Bruce is the epitome of a Capricorn/Aquarius cusp (Western Astrology/Zodiac) - in full force - bringing the water to those who are thirsty, bringing food to those who are starving, and healing the suffering of a people by means of very serious mental, physical, and Yes, Spiritual Work & Seriously Visionary Goals. Bruce Wayne is the Light while Bane is the Darkness of Humanity (the brute force, the inversion of light); the absence of faith. Although he does indeed have an inherent belief within his bones (and muscles reminiscent of mountains), Bane is still dependent on man-made ideologies & approaches (entirely based in the material world). The League of Shadows are attempting to summon the fires from hell in order to bring the dark prince into Heaven to seize the light (again, futility) to fulfill the devil’s ultimate lie (talk about a God-Complex..Oh me, Oh my) of Superiority (‘Can’t we all just get along?’).

When examining Talia al Ghul’s presence as a double-agent mastermind - her reveal is one of the most important plot twists of the series. Talia being a hidden “mole” within the resistance of Gotham City during The League of Shadows’ Hostile Takeover sets off Martial Law in Gotham - which sparks an uprising in the city that eventually saves Gotham (due to the efforts of a network of people who utilized adaptability & effective methods of coordination & action). Bane is to Batman as Talia is to Catwoman (just as Harvey is to Rachel; Duality; Gemini, Twins). What’s so incredible about Selina Kyle is her purpose in the story as a symbol that people CAN & DO redeem themselves despite having a checkered past (something a good amount of folks have in this day-and-age, myself included). Although the clandestine efforts of Gotham’s resistance had been futile due to the fact that Talia al Ghul was hiding in plain sight (a stroke of genius on the writing), Selina Kyle was the defining individual that tipped the scale in favor for Gotham City (and more importantly, Humanity as a Whole). She had an opportunity to leave Gotham and have a clean slate, but she had a personal moment-of-crisis... That’s because she has a soul, and in her soul, she knows, by faith & intuition, that humanity needed her help (one could speculate). She went back & risked her life (God bless her), which was a full circle nod, of which, echoed the sentiment originally planted within the first film: The moment when Rachel Dawes asked a younger Bruce Wayne, “..What chance does Gotham have if the good people do nothing?” (Edmund Burke; ‘Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents’ [1770], regarding the nepotism of a monarchy).

Talia al Ghul is a highly-complex character (next to Bruce Wayne) in the series due to the potential life she may have lead as an orphan born in the pit of hell (shot in the jaw-dropping landscape of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India). She is also the most tragic due to the fact that she literally has an opportunity to leave her life of pain & suffering behind to be with Bruce Wayne, but succumbs to the ‘Shadow Side.’ ...You know something is ‘rotten in the state of Denmark’ when she would rather destroy the world than have a ‘happily ever after’ with Bruce Wayne. Her spirit fell back into the proverbial pit of despair & darkness (without ‘The Light’) that she had escaped from (in a metaphoric sense). Bane, like Scarecrow before him, is merely a pawn in the worldwide game of Chess (‘all the world is a stage...’). The tragedy of Talia is that she is someone who was born into darkness and literally had to pay for the sins of her father (as her mother did, tragically).

Talia al Ghul is the most heart-breaking villain of the trilogy simply due to her life being a complete tragedy. One begins to ponder if she had a romantic evening with Bruce Wayne simply because she had felt the cold winter of loneliness for too long, or if she desperately (just for a moment) wanted to be one with God’s Light & a person’s gentle embrace (although I don’t know I might be wrong - she was probably like “Hey, it’s either Scary-Ass Bane or six-pack abs Bruce Wayne. HMMM. Let’s tip the scale on that one - HAhaHa, I digress). Regardless of reasoning - Talia al Ghul’s complexity is probably no match for the intense unhappiness she carries with her. It’s no surprise due to the fact that her mother’s absolutely unGodly demise (so sad) was the catalyst that sparked her mission from Hell (with her hound-of-hell on a leash, aka Bane). As much as I may condemn Talia al Ghul & Bane - I want to reason with them. I want to listen to them and I want to let them know that America is not a bad place, and we are not a bad people. I want to find a common ground, and extend the olive branch (as the saying goes) in order to help heal their pain & misconceptions of Americans and Humanity (as a whole), without having to give my (or anyone else’s) life in the process.

I have a belief that if Talia al Ghul was given a fair & ample opportunity to have a better life in America - she would have taken it (if she had not been so deeply-programmed with hate). I have the understanding & more concrete belief that it is due to her life-long journey of trauma-based-indoctrination as the main culprit as to why she simply won’t cease & desist from committing further acts of wrath upon Humanity. Talia al Ghul could have put just as much effort into the healing as the killing (but she fell back into that spiritual pit). I know why she hates. She hates because she weeps, deep down inside in her soul at night (when no one is around), for her trauma & her unbearable internal pain. She hates because she is repeating the pattern of trauma that may or may not have been applied to her mind, body, and worst of all - her soul. She hates because she had hatred put into her (since being a small, innocent child) and she put that hatred out into the world (a severe lack of comfort, love, care, family, and yes - Faith). Although symbols of lightness, darkness, duality, and representations of sins & faith are all spread across this monumental achievement in film (without having to shove a Cross in someone’s face) - at the very core of this film is, again, the importance of faith in humanity despite our individual & collective tragedies (and shared injustice). The importance of striving, no matter the odds, no matter the pain, no matter how dark the night.

I believe the BEST moment in the entire story was the moment Bruce Wayne climbed out of the pit to save his people. He could have easily died a painful & shameful death in that ancient prison (while watching his city & country being destroyed by an insane fringe cult; a militia of madness; a false liberation). A lot of people seem to overlook just how incredible & truly powerful that moment is in “The Dark Knight Rises.” Tom Conti (a perfect performance of an apathetic mentor-like figure; complimented brilliantly by one Uri Gavriel as the exiled Medical Doctor of a Monarch) & Christian Bale’s overall dynamic in the entire pit sequence was a masterful stroke of storytelling (tying back to the first film, putting Bruce Wayne back where he first began). It’s fascinating to find Bruce Wayne, with a severely-injured body, having to rebuild himself and strengthening his spirit to rise out of the pit of despair - the pit of personal hell, the unforgiving pit of Time (Capricorn; Saturn; Kronos; “The Task-Master”, “The Reaper”; Reward or Punishment; Karma; The Lord of The Rings). The moment of truth comes when Bruce Wayne discovers (through numerous attempts) that it is his spirit that must rise to seize the light - without vanity, without any fancy gadgets, technology, tricks up his sleeve, or any clever contraption (or vehicle) to assist him in the process. This was a moment for Bruce Wayne and Bruce Wayne alone. This is what we call our moment to “Shine” as an individual being... our independent spirit. Bruce Wayne had to learn what it meant to climb out of the pit of hell and abandon his fear (as the child in the legend had done; Talia al Ghul).

The pit can represent many things to many different people. The eye of the beholder truly does apply to this (as well as any) story. For the individual to think & feel for one’s self - and to also believe in one’s self. The pit can be a literal prison - or it could be a wealthy kingdom. I know (from personal experience) the feeling of being at the pit of one’s own existence. I know what it means to be a prisoner trapped in one’s own body (due to unwanted pain & suffering & hidden trauma). I’ve learned the plight of humanity and the experience of suffering in the night (I’m just like everybody else). I have been there. I have known the darkness. I have known what it means to “dance with the devil under the pale moonlight” (as the expression goes). I’ve known what it means to defend the innocent from evil, thrusting myself into danger to save family members from toxic masculinity & extreme violence (since being a little boy). I have known the darkness, which is why I kept searching for my own personal truths & answers (which ended the day I had a near-death experience & literally saw The Light of God; 100% Serious). I have known all of these things, but I also know that the people who put that hurt into me had that same hurt (if not worse) put into them... That’s the paradox of trauma. The original source goes so far back it’s pointless to trace - which is why I look FORWARD in Life. I no longer dwell in the weight of one’s misery & spiritual darkness - I seize the light by choosing a good life (to fulfill my own purpose).

At the risk of my own humiliation & embarrassment (and at the delight of those of whom feel actual glee out of my personal struggles & suffering; God knows who you are), I can acknowledge that I am someone who has lived “in the darkness” before. I have known what it means to suffer and toil without the light of God in my life. I have abandoned my own belief in God before, and my own personal Faith before... it’s not something I am particularly proud of, and although I have survived various life experiences that made me plunge into the pessimistic side of life (having been mentally, physically, and yes - Sexually-Abused in my early childhood) - I reach out (in spirit) to anyone who may be reading my words, who has possibly fallen from the good grace of God (especially due to what has happened in our country). I, too, know what it is to lose faith in God & The True Light (as opposed to the Man-Made light). I know what it’s like to suffer & hate “The Believers” (my trauma came from a so-called “believer”).

You know, stories are more powerful than one may ever think (as well as Family, Friendship, Fun, and Faith). I have lived in my own personal hell before - I have ‘had it all’ and then lost EVERYTHING the following year. I have rebuilt my life SO many times (too many damn times), and I’ve learned one ultimate truth that I MUST share with everyone who is (and will be) alive to read these words...

..There IS A GOD. THERE IS A LIGHT. It may not be visible because we cannot see what lies beyond the veil of existence, but I assure you - Everyone is Alive for a REASON (and Individual Purpose). Women may have the divine gift of giving Life (RESPECT!), but we ALL have the gift of giving LIGHT (each in our own unique way). We all have a way to help heal and put something good into the world, despite our shared pain & trauma, as a people. We all deserve to be happy and have a decent opportunity for a healthy & happy existence (ESPECIALLY with our modern-day world; unless if folks start committing crimes and harming others and whatnot). I believe we are all at our best when we cooperate & coexist with one another (despite our individual differences). The Light does not need to shine out The Darkness just as The Darkness shall never overthrow The Light. We can live in a spiritual Harmony. We do not have to walk the same path. We do not have to share the same spiritual beliefs. I just think we CAN share this world (as I believe we are truly alive in what is known as the Garden of Eden).

We do not have to destroy ourselves to prosper. We can live among one another (with dignity & respect & honor). I’m not always happy to see that people willingly practice certain principles & “values”, but who am I to judge? That’s why God is here... It’s a tough lesson to accept, but it’s true. I should not judge someone just because they worship darkness - because at the end of the day that’s between them and their purpose in life - not mine. I have walked the line, but I never learned from others shouting in my face - I learned from listening & civility & patience & yes - Faith. That’s the purpose of the light - not to drown out the dark, but to work together (as Santa Clause & Krampus do), as a balance of necessary elements that will always be present in our own reality. We, as a contemporary society, have lost touch with the natural way of the world (well, a good amount of folks anyhow). We, as a humanity, have become so vain that we do not even know which way is Up & Down anymore - which way is truly Left & Right. We, as the soul of humanity, have suffered in the darkness for far too long (due to those who wish to control our individual light). We, as a country, MUST help one another climb out of our collective pit of despair - our sociological prison (cultivated through the last aeon), our ‘darkness.’ It has happened before and it can happen again - and to all of my fellow beings of whom shall always carry within us, The Light of Goodness, the love of God, and the wisdom of The Light - I say to thee: RISE.

I give Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy a PERFECT 10 out of 10! The most inspiring superhero franchise of all time (in my opinion). Bruce Wayne & Gotham City show us that Chivalry is NOT dead in The United States of America (despite our challenges). Christopher Nolan’s Cinematic Achievement is victorious in it’s final conclusion: Gotham City IS worth Saving, as our very own Humanity - and Yes - We can all have a better way of life without having to sacrifice our own lives in the process. We can rise to fulfill our individual & collective destiny (as decent human beings) and have, not the life we need, but the one we DESERVE.

*This is dedicated in loving memory to everyone who has lived & died in service of The Light..✝️

“I see a beautiful city... and a brilliant people, rising from this abyss... I see the lives, for which I lay down my life: peaceful, useful, prosperous, and happy... I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendents (generations hence)... It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known...”

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almaasi · 4 years

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reaction post typed while watching SPN 15x07 “Last Call”

in which Dean realises he has really bad taste in men and then realises Cas ain’t so bad actually

05:20pm

ngl i’m expecting good things

bi dean please. i know dean runs into an ex boyfriend, played by christian kane, who is a friend of jensen’s, so i guess if he was gonna be gay he’d do it with someone he trusts

edit: that sounds laughable in hindsight i’m so sorry for typing that

the writer jeremy adams also wrote scoobynatural and that’s my fave soooo

*steeples fingers*

bring me obviously canon bisexuality

and breakfast bc i’m hungry

04:24

actually i think i need to eat and then watch, this ep needs my full attention brb

04:48pm

okay here we go!!! also i saw a gifset on my dash as i loaded this new post so i know cas says “hey” in the bunker and I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT

04:51

up until the car disappeared, i somehow managed to completely forget that this was a show about monsters and i just assumed there was some lesbian drama about to happen

arurhghh i can’t stand the whole non-consensual iv blood thing

worse squick than the vomiting tbh

EILEEN AND SAM BEING HAPPY AND DOMESTIC THIS IS THE DREAM

don’t anyone take this away from us please

also 100% that sight is making dean pine for cas more

04:56

1. dean turned down food, still obsessed with Real Meat (gay)

2. doesn’t want to drag happy couple into monster business

3. seems especially pretty today. his eye pink matches his lip pink*

* i wonder if the makeup dept actually puts colour on him or just let jensen’s own colouring show? because i love when the eyeshadow matches the lipstick

04:59

weird lingering on the sheriff’s face with that big ol smile

idk what “night rider” is but that’s the name dean used when he was pretending to be a truck driver on the radio that one time

i feel like whatever the sheriff’s talking about in LA, dean knows what he’s talking about but trying not to bite because he’s in work mode

edit: what........was even the point of this.................. it was weird and it probably meant something but i don’t get it. cool character but COMPLETELY USELESS TO THE PLOT. maybe just to get a character of colour in?? not complaining i just don’t get it. this scene with dean was like.... almost flirting

05:02

swayze’s bar, decorated in blue, red, and pink, and the lyrics are singing “where the girls go wild and the boys play hard”

UM OKAY

HERE WE GO

05:03

dean enters the bar right near some HORNY HORNS and some blue & pink lights

okay okay okay

05:05

OH MY GOD DEAN’S BOYFRIEND IS A SINGER

AND A DAMN GOOD ONE

bar full of bi lights yee

i swear their eyes just did the lip-dip thing for a brief sec

also???? jensen’s pupils are dilated more than christian’s

which is

interesting

05:10

THEY’RE DRINKING FAMILY BUSINESS BEER

also kinda seems like dean ditched the girl for the guy and isn’t that just the way

05:11

dean: that’s usually how this ends, innit?

..oh my gosh there;s...... so much between them?? they’re soft for each other??? and??? i’m???

05:14

the way cas speaks directly into his phone WHERE ARE YOU. <3 <3 <3

05:15

WHAT IS IT WITH DEAN AND TRIPLETS

“we split em up fair and square” IMPLYING THAT THEY SHARED???? and had a fivesome??

throwback to crowley, clearly. triplets of unspecified gender

05:19

dean’s shiny lil smile when he looks at lee

I DON’T KNOW WHETHER I’M MORE INTO JENSEN SINGING OR DEAN SINGING BUT ASJHFHJSDFGHJ HELLO

05:23

GIVE DEAN A HAPPY ENDING WHERE HE CAN RUN A BAR WITH HIS BOYFRIEND AND THROW PEOPLE OUT THE WINDOW

05:29

OH NO BETRAYAL

did not expect that :c

dean needs better boyfriends

“very ......russian”

i love this cas too

05:42

aww after dean sees how shitty his ex boyfriend was, he finds cas is in the bunker being concerned about sam, dean’s realising cas is the right guy-shaped entity for him

05:44pm

it’s over

okay??? well... not what i was expecting, but honestly even i didn’t expect what i was expecting

but this episode singularly by itself just... represented so much endgame dean/cas imo. dean’s like HEY HOT GIRLS and then HEY OLD FRIEND I HAVE A DEEP CONNECTION WITH and then HEY EVERYTHING SUCKS BUT I KEEP FIGHTING BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT PEOPLE MORE THAN MY OWN HAPPINESS and then HEY WAIT CAS RUINS EVERYTHING EXCEPT HE SAVED MY BROTHER’S LIFE WHILE I WAS GONE and HEY MAYBE HAVING HIM AROUND ISN’T SO BAD and HEY SAM GETS TO BE HAPPY AND DOMESTIC MAYBE I CAN HAVE THAT TOO IF WE BEAT GOD, WHICH APPARENTLY WE CAN

in a round-about way i mean

i can’t tell you how many times i expected dean to kiss lee though. like when he was dying. smooch

BUT NOPE.

never seen so much bisexual background lighting in my life

suddenly i understand why that flash of red was there in the light rotation. bi DANGER bi DANGER bi DANGER

it was there all along and i didn’t know what it meant until the end

but yeah dean just killed his ex boyfriend and that was like the opposite of what he needed right then. but also maybe he was symbolically killing his interest in other people? because that bar lady very much did not get together with dean

anyway there’s probably 47 good meta posts about this already yaya

#spn #spn spoilers #15x07 #last call #season 15 #Elmie watches things #post of postiness #Dean is bisexual #Dean x Lee #Destiel

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nerdylittleshit · 4 years

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Thoughts about Spn 15x07

BEWARE! SPOILERS AHEAD!

So. This episode. Which I felt was in many ways a fanservice episode, but not in a negative way (because I don’t think fanservice has to be a negative thing in itself). On the one hand we had Sam and Eileen. Clearly the fanservice already started last episode in bringing back Eileen from the dead in the first place, but this week it became more obvious for what reason: to set her up with Sam, to make her his romantic endgame. I really felt that what had been subtext before became now text. And it wouldn’t make sense to bring Eileen back, to set her up with Sam, and then giving us a tragic ending. It still doesn’t mean we get an overall happy ending, but they wouldn’t go the lengths to bring Eileen back, mark her as romantic endgame for Sam, and then not deliver.

On the other hand we have Dean and his little trip in the past. I’m sure Christian Kane is one of the actors many fans had wished to see on the show one day (given his friendship with Jensen), so yeah, fanservice again. In many ways Dean’s trip to Swayze’s felt like a character study, because the character of Lee felt like a different version of Dean, someone he could have become (minus the monster pet obviously). Just as Sam’s blooming romance with Eileen leads to speculation about his future (and the show’s end), Dean’s confrontation with his old friend told us a lot about Dean, and where his journey might end.

But, as always, let’s take a closer look.

All you have to do is follow three simple rules

Let’s start with Dean and his trip down memory lane. The fact that he left the bunker on his own, working a case, is something Sam considers as progress, and he is right to think so. Ultimately, when it comes to the final confrontation between Dean and Lee, what sets them apart is that Dean still cares. What happens in the world still matters, his job still matters, the lives they save still matter, despite knowing Chuck manipulated them (something Lee isn’t even aware off). Last week Cas found his way back to their mission, now Dean, in time for the midseason-finale next week.

We learn that Dean and Lee used to work together back when John was still alive and Sam at college, so pre-series. It is a reminder of how much time has passed since then and how much Dean has changed since then as well. Lee represents in many ways the Dean from the past. Someone whose dream it was to own a bar, where every night seems like the best night ever, full of drinks and girls. And we can say for sure that at some point Dean shared this dream, because this is something that we saw in 14x10, in the happy dream Michael had Dean trapped in. There he had owned Rocky’s Bar, though it was clear that he had financial trouble and that it wasn’t nearly as full as Swayze’s. And speaking of Swayze’s, it is clear that Dean and Lee share the same taste in movies.

There was some obvious queer subtext as well, where Lee was presented as the ex-lover, a reminder of the good old days, who prevents Dean’s current lover (Cas) from calling him. Earlier we had the sheriff complimenting Dean on his good looks, and we saw Lorna trying to flirt with Dean several times, but with no response. And of course we see that Dean can in fact in sing, when he previously had claimed he could not or sung bad on purpose. We are yet reminded again that Dean puts up a persona, especially around his brother, with the genuine Dean lying underneath.

There are also some signs that Lee’s story doesn’t add up, if you look close enough. He says that after his last hunt he scrounged up what he could and bought the bar, but we know that most hunters barely get by, and obviously we later learn about the real source of his money. Second, he doesn’t seem to be a very good hunter, once Dean brings up the case. He seemingly doesn’t recognize Angela, despite her being a regular at his bar. He suggests the lake as a hiding place for the car, when the junkyard is the more obvious choice (and a little nod to our Bobby). Both times Lorna messes things up for Lee, who symbolically stands between the two men the entire time.

It’s been a while that a human had been the actual villain and that we saw one of the Winchesters kill another person. But to Dean the question whether Lee is a monster or not is obvious. Angela was, as we learn, a good girl. There is simply no justification why Lee chose her as a victim, other than that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Furthermore Lee defends his actions that after everything he had done as a hunter he deserves this life, full of fortune and good health. The life as a hunter left him disillusioned; there is so much evil in the world that it doesn’t matter what they do. In fact it doesn’t even matter if he himself does a little evil as well.

And this is the complete opposite of Dean. Dean who still cares, despite having seen the bigger picture, despite knowing the truth about Chuck. Dean who cares about the little people, who thinks that every life he saves matters. And who doesn’t do it for the fame and the glory, who doesn’t think it entitles him to anything, but who does it because someone has to, because despite everything he is still a good person. And of course Dean wants more (always has), and he asks Lee if he has ever regret leaving ‘the life’ behind. And wonders who else is going to care, who else kills monsters and saves lives if he doesn’t. Lee’s answer is that someone else will, which actually reminded me of Sam at the beginning of season 8, who back then had left ‘the life’ behind as well, justifying that someone else would do their jobs.

And this is interesting when we look towards the show’s end, and where Dean’s journey will end. Because as obvious as Sam’s romantic endgame is with the return of Eileen, it looks like Dean will choose a different path. Lee represents Dean’s past, therefore Dean’s wish to leave ‘the life’ is in the past as well. He can’t stop hunting, because he knows what is out there, because he cares too much. So what does that mean for the brothers? Will they go separate ways, Sam starting a new (domestic) life with Eileen, while Dean still hunts? (Maybe with Cas?) Will Dean perhaps die, but just as Lee he chooses his moment of death? It is still too soon for speculations like this, so just consider me throwing around ideas.

Rubber Soul

I already wrote about Sam and Eileen and the significance of Eileen’s return and what it might mean for Sam’s future, so I leave it with that. And despite Cas having the worst timing (he learned from the best: Sam), I’m glad Cas and Eileen finally meet. Soon they are going to start a self-help-group for people who date Winchesters, I’m sure of it.

There isn’t actually much to say about Sam’s rubber soul. I admit I kinda forget who Sergei is, though it is obvious he doesn’t know Cas very well, otherwise he would have known that Cas would never hurt or even kill an innocent girl. Sam’s connection to Chuck’s memories was a means to an end, finally giving them some insight and some sort of upper hand, ready to make their move next week. What is interesting however is the mentioning of Death and Death’s key, that can open the door to Death’s library. The last time we saw Billy, she was in the Empty with Jack. So it is very likely we will see both characters return and that said key/the library will become important in the future.

Until then <3

#supernatural #spn 15x07 #Last Call #spn meta #my meta

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nellie-elizabeth · 4 years

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Supernatural: Last Call (15x07)

My heart is so full, y'all. Damn.

Cons:

Will you just let Eileen and Sam kiss, though? The slow-burn is charming to a point, but we're running out of episodes, here. Let's get this show on the road. They are so freakin' cute.

I love Christian Kane so much and I loved his performance. I do think it's a little silly to shoe-horn this awesome friend into Dean's past like this. I get it - this was someone he used to hunt with on occasion when he was younger. That part I'm fine with. But they talked like John was a father-figure in this guy's life, that he took them both out on hunts together, played them music, etc. That's not the kind of friend I thought Dean had in his life. It feels like too much of a retcon, in some ways, to introduce that idea now.

Also... this is a small thing, but it was hilarious to me how easy it was for Dean to break out of his bonds when Lee had him trapped. Come on, guys. The Winchesters are always getting in to trouble, and it's always dumb luck or mistakes from the bad guys that let them escape with their lives. Isn't Lee supposed to be a former hunter?

Sam got to lay around and be unconscious for a good chunk of this episode. I just want to point out that Cas has plot-convenient incompetence syndrome, and it annoys me sometimes. What I mean is that he comes in and messes things up when things need to get messed up. He's always well-meaning, but... Sam could have died. And Jack killed Mary because Cas made a mistake. Etc. etc. I'm not saying Dean was right during the now famous breakup scene. I'm just saying, Cas' level of competence and bad-assery shifts wildly depending on what the plot needs him to be doing. Sometimes it gets on my nerves.

I want to say it's bad-ass that Dean says "God bless Texas" as he pulls a gun out from under the bar. But honestly... can we not with that? Please?

Pros:

This episode makes me so very incredibly happy, though. Let's start with the Cas, Sam, and Eileen plot.

First of all, even though I wanted Sam and Eileen to kiss, even without that I'm still squealing with how cute and precious their relationship is. They nurse margarita hangovers together, Sam is picking up more sign language, they're doing research together, Eileen totally wants to hit that, and Sam is cute and nervous about it. I'm... so happy? What I think I loved most about their dynamic together is that it shows what a future between them could look like. Making a home together in the bunker, cheering each other up, giving each other breaks, defending each other and doing whatever they can to protect each other.

I'm in love with Sam learning more and more sign language, and the careful way he always makes sure that Eileen can see his lips when he's talking. Sure, I wish there was even more sign, but I can still tell they're putting in the effort, and I really appreciate it. I cannot tell you enough how cute it was to see the two of them making breakfast, Sam signing "margaritas," and Dean just staring at them with raised eyebrows like... oh so that's how it is.

The fact that Eileen was there for an Important Plot thing like Cas trying to discover the link between Sam and Chuck, and the fact that she was present for the last scene where Sam was explaining everything to Dean and Cas... that gives me high hopes. Even if she's not in too many more episodes, I think her presence will be felt. I am so here for it.

Despite Cas being something of an idiot and almost getting Sam killed, I freakin' love Cas being an angry, anxious bad-ass in the bulk of this episode. He shows up ready to re-join the fray, nearly gets Sam killed, then threatens a super dangerous dude and with Eileen's help, gets Sam back on his feet. Even though things almost broke really bad, we still got valuable information out of this, and we got to see Cas going to any length to protect Sam. Heck yes.

Before I turn to Dean's side of the episode, I want to touch on the few moments that he interacted with the Sam, Cas, and Eileen side of the plot. First of all, I love that he needed to get out of the bunker, to be away from the domestic bliss of Sam and Eileen. He's been in his head, feeling trapped and alone, and he's obviously still hurt over the way things went down between him and Cas. I like that he's restless, because it means that his ennui of the past few weeks has started to fade. I also like that he feels some measure of discomfort around Sam and Eileen, even if he's happy for his brother. Of course there's the Cas aspect of it, as Dean is behaving like someone going through a breakup. But I think even removing Cas from the scenario, it's weird for Dean to watch Sam being so... happy. He's not used to that and it certainly shifts the dynamic a bit. I hope that gets explored at least a little bit.

And then at the end, Dean rushes back into the bunker, having finally received Cas' message that Sam is in trouble. At first, he's all frantic worry, but the minute Cas tells him that Sam is okay, things immediately become awkward and strained between them. I love how Cas just tells Dean that Sam is fine, and then says "yeah," and storms away. And Dean is equal parts annoyed and hurt. The strain between them is real, and I'm excited to watch them play off of each other in this way until we finally get to some peace between them.

So we've got Dean Winchester going off on a solo hunt and then spending a night drinking and flirting with a woman and a man at a bar. And singing. And fighting. This was peak bi-Dean Winchester. I know it might not mean anything, but Dean singing that song while the colors of the bi pride flag light up the stage behind him... aw man. I was feeling some feelings.

Christian Kane does a great job with the character of Lee. He's just a bit too charming, so you know something's up... but you also get the sense that this is a guy who lost his way, that his greed and villainy now are not so different from the kinds of lines that Sam and Dean have crossed over the years. Sure, Lee is doing what he's doing for personal benefit like wealth and long life. Sam and Dean would never do that. But would Dean feed innocent people to a monster in order to save Sam's life? I mean... all signs point to yes. We've seen Sam drink demon blood, we've seen Dean torture people... these boys cross lines all the time.

And the fact that Lee is this jaded figure, someone who hunted when he was younger but doesn't see the point now, fits in so wonderfully with where Dean is at mentally right now. He literally has to fight with Lee, while re-emphasizing that even if the world is totally screwed, the response to that should be to try and fix it, not to run and hide and give up. "You fix it," he says, as he fights against the manifestation of his own internal apathy. "You don't walk away, you fight for it." Yes, Dean! Yes!

I mean, Dean and Lee spent this episode definitely 100% flirting with each other, and Lee looked at Dean like he actually loved him when Dean finally stabbed him. It was so... tender, that final moment where Dean stabbed his former friend and watched the light leave his eyes. My "Dean Winchester is Bi" alert was going haywire, but it was also more than that. We've seen Dean kill Benny, and now Lee - two people who he was close to, who were actual friends of his. The kinds of people who he would naturally gravitate to, unlike Sam and Cas, who he loves but who aren't always exactly on the same page as him socially. The fact that he has to make this sacrifice, to "kill a monster," is just so tragic, even as it puts Dean back on the right path when it comes to the larger fight against Chuck.

As a small side-note, line of the night goes to Lee: "You can't just sit around lip-syncing 'Eye of the Tiger' when no one's watching." I cackled. And the song was amazing. I'm so glad Jensen got to show off his singing chops here.

Another small note... great fight choreography and great bad-assery from Dean in this episode, what with the cool fight with Lee, and also the half-comedic, half-awesome image of Dean rolling the head of the monster out of the door. We didn't even get to see that fight - Dean is just that cool.

Timing-wise, I love that Dean fought this very symbolic fight right before Sam gets another piece of the puzzle that will lead to the defeat of Chuck. Dean's experience with Lee has put him in the right mindset to be ready to take on this fight, and now Sam has realized that Chuck is weak, and they might have a chance to end this once and for all.

Next week is the mid-season finale, I do believe. We get to see Adam, which is really exciting! My heart is breaking a little bit with how quickly this season is flying by. But I'm happy to report that all things considered, this final season of Supernatural isn't too shabby!

9/10

#review #supernatural #supernatural review #spn #spn 15x07

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osleyakomwonkru · 5 years

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I was tagged for this game by @blodreina-noumou - sure, I’ll dive in!

MY SHOWS (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER) *:

The 100 (obviously)

Shadowhunters

Once Upon A Time

Leverage

Lost

*I am monofandomous. Which means I can only do one fandom at a time. I have a tendency towards hyperfixation. Obviously, #1 is that current hyperfixation, the other four are my ones before it.

Come take a look, if you dare.

QUESTIONS:

1. who is your favorite character in 2?

Magnus Bane. Has been since the books, and Harry plays him so well on screen. I love his loyalty, his take-no-shit attitude, his everything.

2. who is your least favorite character in 1?

Marcus Kane, wait he’s dead. Abby Griffin, wait she’s probably dead too. Okay, then we’ve come to Bellamy Blake. I don’t want to hate him, see, but he’s been so cruel to Octavia since 5x04, his joking with her now is unearned since he hasn’t apologized for his cruelty, and thus I cannot stan like I used to. Sorry not sorry.

3. what is your favorite episode of 4?

"The Big Bang Job”. Eliot backstory and Eliot being awesome. Love him so much.

4. what is your favorite season of 5?

Season 3. Ish. Latter half of season 3, more specifically.

5. who is your favorite couple in 3?

OutlawQueen. Regina was my absolute favourite, and Robin was just so perfect for her. And then, of course, as always for characters that are My Type™, she lost him. That’s pretty much where my love affair with the show ended.

6. who is your favorite couple in 2?

Malec (Magnus/Alec). Before my Octavia hyperfixation started, I had a fine career as a mid-list Malec fic writer, and then gave all of that up to, well, love and write about Octavia instead. No regrets.

7. what is your favorite episode in 1?

Episode 4x10 “Die All, Die Merrily”. Does this even need an explanation? Honourable mentions to 4x07 “Gimme Shelter” and 5x10 “The Warriors Will”.

8. what is your favorite episode of 5?

A tie between episodes 3x16 “One of Us” and 5x08 “LaFleur”. Yes, I love Juliet. She’s My Type™. As is Sawyer. And of course, Suliet, which was one of the first times my heart broke in fandom.

9. what is your favorite season of 2?

Season 2, even if it was heartbreaking for poor Magnus.

10. how long have you watched 1?

I started watching The 100 in February of last year, so in the hiatus between seasons 4 and 5. Then watched 5 and now 6 live.

11. how did you become interested in 3?

I can’t quite remember, actually. I think I’d heard about it, then started watching it when my ex-fiance’s sister shared it with me. (Obviously before the “ex” part happened.)

12. who is your favorite actor in 4?

Christian Kane (Eliot Spencer), always.

13. which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5?

1. The 100. That’s why it is my current hyperfixation :D I love all of the moral and ethical dilemmas, I love the intensity, I love the depth, I love the “no good choices” and then “how do you live with it after?”. That’s why I watch. Which is why I hate that the more recent seasons aren’t holding to this and are deciding we should dislike some actions and like others, even if they’re similar.

14. which show have you seen more episodes of, 1 or 3?

3, only because OUAT had 22 episodes per season instead of 13-16.

15. if you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

Parker! Parker and I have a lot in common, actually. I’m not a world-class thief, but I do have trouble relating to humans like she does, so acquiring an awesome skillset to go along with that would be cool.

16. would a crossover between 3 and 4 work?

OUAT and Leverage? .... no.

17. pair two characters in 1 that would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple

Octavia and Murphy. I know, you’re probably going “WHAT?! They haven’t spoken to each other since season 1 and have rarely shared a scene since”, but hear me out. They both know what it is like to be seen as the bad guy, when they didn’t do anything so different from other characters, they just got on The Leads’ bad sides. They’ve both spent large portions of the show physically and/or emotionally isolated from the rest of the main kru. They’ve both had complicated relationships with Team Adults, Jaha and Abby in particular.

This season especially is FULL of Octavia/Murphy parallels - Murphy dives into the water on the new planet (as Octavia did in 1x01), Murphy’s life is in danger from the water (see Octavia in 1x01, except this time it is a snake that saves his life rather than threatens it), Octavia is banished for stupid reasons (like Murphy in 1x04), and Octavia and Diyoza’s quest for Gabriel and the Anomaly parallels Murphy and Jaha’s quest for the City of Light in season 2 (especially relevant since we know the Anomaly will be a big plot point for S7, like the CoL was in S3).

So with all of that, if you still need some convincing... they’re both incredibly loyal. They help their people even when their people have done little to nothing to earn that loyalty, and even when their people think the worst of them. Also, Octavia is too selfless, and I really want some of Murphy’s selfishness to rub off on her. He’s not as selfish as people often think, but Octavia doesn’t have a selfish bone in her body, and she could use one.

So yeah. Murphtavia. CockroachQueen. Whatever you want to call the ship. It’s happening.

18. overall, which story has the better storyline, 3 or 5?

Well, these two are based on the same principles, and created by a fair number of the same people, with the same actors. So the storylines have fair numbers of similarities, but I have to say 5, because Lost wrapped things up at the appropriate time instead of going for a victory lap half-reboot like OUAT did.

19. which has the better theme music, 2 or 4?

2. Shadowhunters. Without a doubt. This is where I first heard Ruelle and Fleurie, and they’re both amazing artists and you should all check them out.

I’m not tagging anyone, but feel free to steal and do it. I don’t know where this thing started, but does anyone with these things, really?

#tag game #multifandom #murphtavia #because that's really why I did this #so I could wax poetic about my (not so) crack ship #still prefer niytavia though

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midnightluck · 7 years

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o boi can u hit me up with some Eliot Spencer headcanons?

Hello yes come in and let me yell at you about my favorite porcupine teddy bear, Eliot Freaking Spencer. I love this boy and also his actor, Christian Kane.

To start with, Christian Kane also played Lindsey McDonald on Angel, so my favorite thing is the twin/past name trope. Why yes, I am predictable, thanks for noticing. But that could bring the Buffyverse supernatural into Leverage, and isn’t that fun?

Random canon facts with headcanon extrapolation below the cut:

He knows a lot of things about a lot of things

flight attendants, fashion, etc

when called on it, he always mentions dating those professions

which means that even if it was a one-night stand, he asked them questions about their fields, listened to them talk about them, and then remembered it all.

And some of that shit isn’t pillowtalk; who talks about a-frames and empire waistlines in bed? which means that he’s a good listener and probably a bit of a doting date

He can sing

but he doesn’t. Maybe he used to sing a lot as a kid.

I bet he used to sing for Amy

I love his voice I love it I love it

His Perfect Beautiful Hair

that one time he showed up with tiny braids and beads in his hair? and no one said anything about it??? Did Parker do it? does he hang out with small children and let them do his hair? This is Important To Me and I Must Know.

He used to be some kind of military because he talks about teams and is called Commander at least once, yet he starts the series with hair long enough for a ponytail. So he’s been out a long time (obviously, because Moreau) and probably grew his hair out as a way to distance himself from that time

Likely he maintained short hair with Moreau too, and grew it out when he went solo. Kind of a screw-you declaration to the world, because hell yeah I can fight even with loose long hair. What, you wanna try me?

He must have a reason, because long hair is a shit choice for a soldier, a mercenary, and a chef. And I don’t think it’s an accident that he got it cut when he did, late s5 right before the Run Down Job. He has a team that he’s firmly entrenched with, his part arc is finished, and he’s accepted that he’s stuck with these kids til he’s dead.

He loves children

He’s kinda awkward and lets them come to him first, but he treats them as slightly-weaker people instead of kids and they flock to him

We see in that one episode with the little boy, he recognizes the signs of abuse and gets angry over it.

The fact that he knows the questions to ask, though–I can never decide if he knew a lot of kids like that, or if he’s been doing research for helping Parker

I don’t think he knows from personal experience, though, because

His family

He’s doubtful his dad will forgive him for walking out, but he takes steps to make amends anyway

The bit we see from his past is actually pretty happy. Football team, or at least Varsity jacket, group of friends, standard high school experience

And of course, he had the time and leisure to court Amy

I bet he was a smart strong jock, big fish in a small pond, who wanted to go see the real world and leave the podunk town he grew up in. I bet he thought he’d enlist right out of high school, do a tour or two, see the world and make enough money to come back and settle down with Amy.

Which would have been fine, except…

He’s really smart

Not necessarily in a book kind of way; he probably enlisted straight out of high school and didn’t do college. But he’s adaptable and flexible and absorbs information and training like a sponge. Someone tells him something, he remembers it.

We see him pick stuff up so quick. He can play baseball well enough to pass as a professional. He can box well enough to pretend it’s his primary discipline. He can ice skate well enough to play hockey. He learns to grift. He runs a business. Give him a goal, a reason, and enough time and I firmly believe he can do anything.

And on top of being smart and adaptable, he’s strong. Of course he got pulled aside and told about the special training opportunity available, and there’s no way he wasn’t at very least spec ops.

He is a flavor snob

No, really, this is straight canon

He turns up his nose at things like Hardison’s sodas and weird beers and is a chef

I bet he prefers to make anything he can rather than buying it. Probably makes his own pastas and breads and such, now that he’s got a kitchen and a home base.

I bet he loves farmer’s markets. Just loves them.

People are alternately in love with and terrified by him because he’s big and intimidating and a cutthroat haggler but also will listen to you talk about how the last crop came up late and yeah, could use a bit of rain, couldn’t we?

All that being said, one of the cool things about Leverage is how much headcanon is unnecessary. They give us enough backstory on everyone for a vague skeleton, and then fill in hobbies and tics and traits in the show proper. It’s formulaic enough that we get to see what’s habit and what’s happenstance. And because the show covers a massively wide range of settings and groups and such, we get a lot of facets that would otherwise go unknown.

I know I’ve taken advantage of that skeleton to write weird crossovers about Eliot, and I’m probably not done yet. Leverage is the most crossover-iest show ever. Yes, even more than Doctor Who.

I love the show. I love the characters, but haha mostly I just love Eliot.

#leverage #eliot spencer #my fandoms let me show them to you #headcanons

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inkwellco · 7 years

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FOCUS ON... JOHN HARLAN KIM

Our latest 'FOCUS ON' feature interview is with Australian actor John Harlan Kim. Kim has journeyed from the familiar sights of Ramsay Street on Neighbours, to become a valued Librarian on the hit TNT show, The Librarians.

Hi John, how’s your visit home been? Unreal! Always good to get home for the Summer and see all my mates and the family. Mom was stoked to have me back but now I'm pretty sure she's getting over it and probably ready for me to head back to the States!

We’ve just seen the season 3 finale of The Librarians. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster. Your character Ezekiel has grown over the years, matured, what’s the journey been like over that time? It's weird. Here's a character I never thought would grow. It was apparent that he suffered from some type of Peter Pan syndrome. But over the seasons we've seen more and more that it's just a guard he has set up and I think people can relate to Ezekiel in that way, that having walls up is a normal human thing to do. He has the most to prove yet he acts like he doesn't care but we're seeing more and more that he truly does care, especially about his new family.

Can you relate to Ezekiel in any way? I've grown up with the show myself so that's probably one of the coolest parts, to not only see Ezekiel grow up and mature with each script but also needing to have to do that myself albeit on a less grander scale because obviously I'm not fighting dragons and minotaurs in my personal life. My problems are a little more realistic like trying to score a date or not over-cooking my eggs.

Has there been an episode that stood out as a favourite? Point of Salvation. Hands down. The cast were so supportive that ep as was Jonathan Frakes and Jeremy Bernstein. They put me in an environment where I felt confident enough to make choices and take creative risks. I think it all came together really well in the end and I couldn’t be prouder.

Tell us about your relationship with the other Librarians. Lindy [Booth] and Christian [Kane] set great examples for me, they’re always there for me (Lindy & Rebecca have even housed me at one stage) and they’re just good people to be around. And with Noah [Wyle], I couldn’t be more amped to work with. He’s phenomenal at what he does and I have a lot of respect for the way he handles the pressure whether as an actor, producer, director or writer. He’s awesome. I really couldn’t be in a better position with the cast I have.

And the dynamic between the Librarians and their Guardian, as well as Jenkins? It’s a great technique, incorporating different roles to cover a variety of plot lines. Rebecca Romijn and John Larroquette make it way too easy to play! They’ve both had long and successful careers in the industry and it was easy to see why from the moment I got to Portland. I love working with them. It’s fun because you’re right, when we have such a wide variety of plot lines to cover splitting up the team becomes necessary to keep on top of it all. Every script I get, it’s exciting! One day I’ll be sitting on a magic council with Larroquette, the next I’ll be beating up zombies along with Romijn!

The episodes are always so unique and interesting, when you first read each script how do you feel? I’d imagine much like the audience, fascinated, but excited as your character experiences it. One of my favorite parts about the whole thing is getting the next episode’s script. The writers on our show are top flight and they do a spectacular job in conveying their vision onto paper and keeping things fresh and interesting! Like I mentioned, you don’t know what you’ll be doing or where your character will get to travel to, all you know for sure is it won’t be boring!

There are some harder themes, for example in season 3 the team deals with the resolution of Cassandra’s tumour. In contrast, what was it like filming those scenes? As a viewer it was tense! To an extent, it definitely felt like a shock to the system! Showing up that day was such a different type of shooting day for us. I wasn’t used to coming in and filming something so somber but being the incredible talent she is, Lindy absolutely killed it!

Were there any other scenes that presented a challenge in terms of emotional response? Like the finale? Yeah I mean Flynn’s ultimate sacrifice was rough. And I had already read what was going to happen and I still got anxious watching it! That and Charlene’s goodbye. Jane Curtin’s a star, I loved having her around.

And what about training for the more physical combat roles, what was that like? Did you enjoy it? Definitely. I got to live out a bit of a youth dream with that vampire ep. And to do it alongside Christian Kane who is well-versed in vampire combat himself. I mean, come on! How lucky am I!? Our stunt guys Tim Eulich and Buster Reeves were a dream to work with and they’re absolute legends as well.

Over the seasons, what’s one of your favourite moments working on the ‘The Librarians’ set? My first day. Noah Wyle and the jewel theft scene. It still feels like a dream, such a surreal moment. I haven’t lost that feeling yet and I hope I never do. I never want to be jaded.

Do you have an idea as to what The Librarians will go through in the upcoming series? What would you like to see happen next, for all the librarians and specifically Ezekiel? Zero idea. They’re good at keeping pretty secretive about all of that stuff. I’d love to see Ezekiel continue to evolve into the Librarian he’s going to be someday. He’s far from being fully-realized and has the most growing up to do so to see him take that next step would be awesome.

The Librarians has been renewed for a fourth season, what do you think makes the series so successful? Our showrunners. John Rogers and now Dean Devlin. They’re the pulse of the show. I don’t really need to say anymore, they’re extraordinary at what they do and they’re two of the best men I’ll ever come across, by every measurement of the word.

Is there any other role you’d like to take on from a book or comic? Or another series you’d also like to be a part of? Amadeus Cho. I’ve always wanted to be a humungous, green giant.

Did you always want to be an actor? I decided at 15 I wanted to be an actor so I took a class, auditioned for my first gig and booked it. I then took that pay check from my first acting gig, coupled that with money saved from working at a charcoal chicken store and flew to New York in my school holidays. I knocked on the door to a film school building in Manhattan and told the concierge I wanted to be an actor and he told me to go find my parents. I think he thought I was lost.

On your down time what other things do you enjoy doing? I love shooting hoops, hitting the water and playing video games. I picked up boxing a few months ago too but my heads so big, it makes it ridiculously hard to dodge punches.

How does working overseas compare to working here at home in Australia? The biggest difference I’ve found is the pacing. I can’t speak for either industry as a whole but my experience on Neighbours was a much more fast-paced environment than something like The Librarians. It was actually a fantastic way to learn to nail your first few takes and within that, I found preparation was key so I make sure to show up to any set now with my lines absolutely ingrained into my brain so that the real fun can begin once you start shooting.

What advice do you have for actors, especially Australians wanting to make it in the industry and overseas? Trust your choices. It’s so easy to second guess if you’re on the right path or not but just back yourself and everything else will fall into place.

And finally, what can we expect from you next? I’m actually in the middle of editing my first project right now so I’m hoping to complete that before we start work on Season 4! Way too excited to see that finished and then to get to go back to work with Dean & the gang is going to be an absolute blast as always!

Thank you so much for your time John. We can’t wait to see you on screen in 2017!

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afraschatz · 5 years

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5 things I love about Leverage that isn’t The Team

Look. Everything about Leverage is brilliant. I think we can all agree on that. EVERYTHING. However, instead of talking about a random episode and the 10.000 things I love about it, and instead of writing yet another love declaration to the team, let me just do it a little differently in this post and write a love declaration to Leverage that does not feature the characters (well, mostly it doesn’t).

So, here are five things I LOVE about Leverage that aren’t Eliot, Hardison, Sophie, Nate, and Parker (who technically aren’t things anyway, so never mind):

1 - The music. I talked about this before, but I have to do it again. Listen. The music to this show is so iconic, so perfectly LEVERAGE from the very first episode on. It would have been so easy to make this a much darker show (seriously, aside from Hardison and his braces and his Nana, who of the team has a past that does not spell DARK in capital letters). One of the main reasons why that’s not the case is the music. It tells us ‘we’re here to entertain, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we know exactly how to read and create a mood, how to change things up from one second to the next’. And that goes for the main themes used in almost every episode - aside from the opening theme, there is, for instance, the “the con unfolds” theme and the “ooh, things get tight (but not really)” theme - as well as all the little variations, always perfectly setting the mood for whichever genre persiflage the show is going for this week . And last but not least, let’s not forget that this show didn’t just give us Christian Kane singing, it made an entire episode about Christian Kane singing. AND it gave us Hardison and Eliot jammin’ in Lucille.

2 - The wardrobe. Okay, I want to start this by saying that hands down the best costume is Parker’s Björk-Duck-costume (which it is). However, aside from that, one thing I so love about the show is that we once again get both: We get costumes carefully picked to fit the theme of the episode (whether that is posh Sophie in horse-riding gear in ‘The Two Horse Job’ or Nate’s horrible suits whenever he needs to be a sleazy lawyer or that time Eliot was convinced he not only had to wear a silk scarf to that fashion show but also eyeliner. And that time when Parker, Tara, and Sophie played “Charlie’s Angels” in ‘The girls night out Job’? Yeah.). And all those costumes are just such FUN because they are just slightly over the top, slightly too much, in that nudging-us-in-the-side-and-winking-at-us kind of way that always somehow reminds us that this is all make belief and not real. Aside from those con-related things, we get Nate’s hats and Hardison’s shirts, Sophie’s heels, Parker’s fondness of elastic fabrics, Eliot’s plaid. - All of them have a distinctive style, so perfectly reflecting their personalities. Just take Hardison and his combination of practical and comfy, of bright colours and blacks, of obviously expensive and whimsical, of super stylish and understated; seriously, I want to write an essay about Hardison’s SHIRTS alone. - And the best? It’s never commented on, it’s not necessary. It’s just another layer of awesomeness.

3 - The locations. Can I just remind everyone that we’re dealing with a TV show here? One that wasn’t produced by HBO (who apparently shit gold bricks)? And yet we get San Lorenzo and Hardison sucking air from a chair in a basement pool, we get airports and car chases, hospitals and ski lifts, Eliot galloping down the street and beating up people in a recording booth, we get an entire show set in the 70s, one set in the 40s, we get auction houses in London, chess tournaments in the middle East, graveyards and jungles and A FUCKING MOUNTAIN - need I go on?

4 - The camera work. Seriously. I watched every episode of Leverage at least 15 times (this is not an exaggeration btw. I mean that.). Two of those times? I was just watching for the camera porn. Like, I dare you. Watch ‘The Frame-Up Job’ just for that, just to see the camera fucking _dancing_ with Nate and Sophie all the time, and watch that back to back with ‘The Rundown-Job’ and its fast cuts, its close ups, its hard cuts and jump cuts. Watch Eliot coming clean to the team about his involvement with Moreau and watch it just for the camera angles. Watch how it is the camera and the cuts that make ‘The Rashomon Job’ work. Seriously, I dare you. Watch. Art, I tell you. (Also? Locked-up comedy frame.)

5 - The DVD commentary and the DVD extras. EVERY episode has one. And every episode’s commentary is worth listening to, not once but several times (believe me, I did). You learn so much about how the episodes came about, backstories alternative versions and connections to other episodes. And aside from that, they are just so entertaining and it seems like everyone had fun making them - so much fun, that repeatedly surprise guests such as sexual chocolate err Aldis come and join in, even though they clearly don’t have to. - And the DVD extras? Eliot fights a bear? The the-team-meets-the-Muppets pitch? The hand job? Beth being an entitled starlet?

So, when I say that I love everything about Leverage? I literally mean EVERYTHING.

#leverage #eliot spencer #alec hardison #nate ford #sophie deveraux #parker #things i love about

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