#and the interactions/dynamics in the first season def would have changed in a second one | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nerves-nebula · 1 year

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OKAY HIII I'M BACK AND I BINGED A LOT MORE OF RISE TMNT AND YOOO??? I AM HERE TO GUSH ABOUT IT

SIDE NOTE BEFORE EVERYTHING I SAY THEY WENT SO FUCKIN HARD ON THE ANIMATION OMG IT IS STUNNING AMAZING SUPERB!!! HOW DOES IT LOOK SO GOOD AND AESTHETICS AND ?? I WANT TO CHEW DEVOUR BITE BITE ABSORB IT

(break down and thoughts and everything below.SORRY THAT ITS LONG I AMM. OBSESSED. THIS IS LIKE A WHOLE PAPER ON THEM SORRY BUT NOT FULLY SORRY BUT SORRY)

After the first half of the first season (? i am using a totally definitely legal sight that does each episode as 11 minutes and I'm on what it says is episode 38, if one actual episode is two of those 11 minute ones then I'm guessing I'm around episode 19?)

Maybe earlier than that BUT LIKE AFTER THEY SET UP THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN???? OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG HOW DID I NOT WATCH THIS EARLIER??

Raph is so cool Love him, like he's big and spiky and probably the softest in terms of open outwardly affection towards the group (he does the most group hugs I'm pretty sure? if not HEADCANNON that when they were little and any of them had a bad dream Raph got everyone into a little turtle pile and they could hug it out and feel safe)

Leo!!!!! I AM GETTING SOME OF THE GENDER VIBES!! So far his character feels the least dove into? Like Donnie has episodes where his character is a focus and so does Mikey and Raph to an extent but so far Leo feels more like part of a duo rather than fully solidifying his own persona (to me and I'm no where near done the show SO that most likely changes!) BUT ALSO that feels like it adds to his character in terms of I think he's the second oldest?

(I thought Donnie was the second oldest but hmmm if they're more like twins than the rest of the brothers then it kinda feels like they both tried to be the protective second oldest sibling and the second youngest at the same time and rapidly switch between each other, but like clash heads if both try to fill that role at the same time? MIGHT be head canon stuff at this point, but I need to watch more to find out. Leo DEF has something going on, like please Mx. can you reveal your hidden secret self that isn't based entirely on how we see you interact with others? like who do you think you are Leo...)

Mikey! What a fun guy, he's like. The same vibes as that "I'm just a little man, just a little man and it's my birthday. You wouldn't hurt a little birthday boy would you? on his very big special birthday day? I'm such a little guy why hurt me?". Head empty no thoughts, he's got the DVD screen saver (corner bouncer) playing on loop and probs the THX loud effect. I hope he gets more time to shine because he kinda feels like he swaps between being just for comedy and someone that wants to prove themself(which would then help them feel better about themself and improve their own self worth and stuff)

DONNIE!! MY GUY DONNIE!! HOW DID THEY MAKE A CHARACTER SO BITABLE. MY MAN IS AUTISM. HE IS MY AUTISM CREATURE. <- I thought his design was cool at first and then I saw him exist

Donnie is so character though like sorry to the rest of the turtles but Donnie is going to be my new blorbo, new little skrunkle that I'll probably project onto. He has all the issues and none of them. He has that "no one understands how my mind works and I must study other's and the world just to be partially accepted" vibes WHILE ALSO having "the world will adapt to me. If not through understanding, then my force" sorta vibes and ? the range! He's dynamic, he's wild, he probably orders the exact same thing at one specific restaurant if he's ordering for one.

APRIL!! YO SHE IS GREAT! I love how we learn more about her slowly like she's a character living her own life that happens to appear in this show, like I'd fully expect her to have a show on her own and her here is cross overs (compliment). So happy to see where they go next with her, I am like a cheer leader she can do no wrong. She could plan to kill me and I'd give her a thumbs up and say that she should believe in herself and her ability to cultivate her own life. SAD that the people at her school aren't nice, but I feel like that adds to the whole "oh the outsider must be lying about who they are if they act like someone else when not in school/[insert environment] vibes/story lines some things get into. Like we fully understand why she acts like that and get a more objective perspective of everything. She makes me feral in the sense that I want her to have the world (she also reminds me of my younger sister xD)

I also am so thrilled to see that NOT all or most of the main human cast is white. Like that's a huge think that sucks with western animation and honestly the first episode having the white guy be the first experiment and overall kinda dumb was so cathartic. Like yeah, ANYWAYS we don't need to get into my personal issues xD

All of the turtle brothers have obvious/noticeable behaviours impacted/caused/influenced by trauma and GROWLING SHAKING SCREAMING!!!1

Raph being alone omg. Splinter was probably an even worse father then and maybe not even a mutant yet??? And either Raph found the red thing and that's why splinter called him red or splinter grabbed the first thing and just colour coded him. The balll is probably his first friend and the fact that the football is vaguely turtle shell shape is giving me emotions.

Leo I feel like he always needs to prove himself because maybe he didn't have a lot of chances to be alone? He's the second oldest so idk how long there would've been between him and Donnie joining but I fully feel like when Raph realized he had a brother he tagged along with him everywhere and probably tried looking out for him more because he might've been (as a younger child) like "why is he smaller, is he okay? will he get hurt?". Leo my man are you okay you seem like you just compartmentalized everything :(

Mikey I think needed more attention and Splinter did very little so a lot of his earlier development would have been focused on getting all that important attention from his (not by that much) older brothers who ALSO were in that situation. He's got the vibes of someone that in years time (maybe few maybe a LOT of years) he'll be like "heyyy wait a minute do I use humor to cope with everything and heyyy are these things maybe not just fun little quirks?" <- neglected younger sibling vibes where he had to fight for attention where he never had time to ever figure out who he was outside of the four brother unit

DONNIE!! HE HAS SO MANY ISSUES!! Okay but the fact that he's low empathy is NOT one of them I will fight people on that. He is great and pretty relatable as someone who struggles with displaying emotions and voice inflections (I try, but when I first learned to speak I didn't realize you had to move your mouth into shapes a lot (I thought they were exaggerating just so I'd understand) so I'd be like 5 and doing ventriloquism instead of speaking properly.) <- this is one of the things I'm adding to my head canons for him. It's why he exaggerates a lot of his hand-when-speaking actions (and body movements) and apologizes for not having the right tone. Just quirky neurodivergent things :3 )

okay okay but seriously Donnie both somehow manages to be the clearest with how their childhood/life conditions negatively impacted him and also the least affected. I think it's compounded by even if he was human and not a mutant turtle, he still wouldn't be able to fit into the mould of a "normal" human, so as a mutant turtle he sticks out even more. Might've been something he struggled with until later because rn in the series it seems like he's embraced that a lot more, although still struggles. I could go on, but he fits my brain's vibes for "projection mode engaged" so yeah, babygirl

Donnie has autism and Mikey has adhd no questions asked. Raph is on the neurodivergent spectrum but in a less defined way (DEFINITELY HAS SEPARATION ANXIETY!!) and Leo is the token neurotypical that adopted neurodivergent behaviours and mindsets because that's what he grew up around. So he gets the same outsider feel of being different while coincidentally having his difference be that his brain is ""more normal"" <- heavy quotation marks.

uhhh final thoughts because I could ramble for days.. Splinter so far sucks I think that there's something really weird in the vibes of him purposefully raising all the turtle brothers in a way where the only times they got much validation/even just acknowledgement was through them obsessively watching all the films he was in. Like idk something about the vibes of him not telling them at ALL that that is him but heavily encouraging them to act out his movies in front of him gives off something weird.

SIDE RANT ABOUT THEIR COLOURS!! I AM SO INTRIGUED ABOUT THIS ELEMENT

Also like Splinter calls them by colours which he probably colour coded them all just to tell them apart (maybe why they always wear the masks? Because that's the only way they felt external validation of their lives and existence that wasn't just through the four of them??)

He might've did red first because we see him wear a lot of red, and blue is the stereotypical opposite of red so it makes sense to choose that second. Red vs Blue stereotype, etc etc. Maybe why Leo is competitive too? Because he felt his first experiences were being compared to Raph?

It's interesting that Donnie got purple because that's a mix of red and blue, so maybe Splinter wanted to give them some sort of cohesive theme at that point? Like a sliding scale of colours? Maybe it started because Raph and Leo both gave Donnie some purple, idk tho.

Purple is heavily used to either represent (evil) tech or just Donnie and Donnie has the most attachment to the colour so there's definitely something going on there.

Maybe Splinter didn't even realize there was a third turtle kid until Raph and Leo found a way to get Splinter to recognize there was a difference at all (maybe why Donnie in particular strives so much for acknowledgement by Splinter? Because his earliest life was defined by being mistaken for other people?

Mikey being Orange feels like Splinter gave up and didn't want to go with yellow (the more obvious choice as it's a primary colour, kinda surprised Donnie didn't get assigned yellow) and maybe did the same thing with Raph where he just took some spare material (he wears a lot of gold and orange in hems and whatnot) and just plopped that on Mikey.

Kinda shows how Mikey is separated by the rest by being born the youngest, they might've had some sort of living routine set up before he was there and he didn't have much say in how it adapted? Like Leo and Raph are opposites or could've been intended as opposites by Splinter, and with Donnie being so close to the same age as Leo (but his soft shell making him more prone to injury and therefore requiring both Raph's and Leo's protection) he fit into the middle but still closer to Leo (<- Donnie thought of himself as the middle child between them three for sure, but both Leo and Raph think of him as the youngest out of the three).

Mikey being orange shows that's he's kinda excluded from the twins thing that Leo and Donnie have, and might be closer to Raph because of that. After all Mikey and Raph are the only ones with masks on the warm side of the colour wheel (also adding that Mikey is a combination of red and yellow, with yellow not symbolizing anything so maybe that's adding to Mikey's vibes of being an outsider/different/unique?

He's loud in all the different ways that Donnie is (which was probably worse earlier than it is now currently in the show) and struggles with focusing his attention and thoughts where Donnie struggles with the opposite. Both Leo and Donnie saw themselves as middle siblings and treat may tried to treat Mikey similar to how they treated each other (in terms of "this is how I know how to interact with younger siblings and you are younger so this is right, right?" sorta way)

Raph would've had the experience of having two fairly different younger siblings, so he adapted more easily to the personal needs of Mikey as a younger brother? Like he unlocked his emotional intelligence earlier and could recognize (possibly comparing their behaviour to Leo?) that both Donnie and Mikey are different (more obviously neurodivergent, both probably would've been special needs kids).

Plus Donnie would be struggling more with his low empathy, perhaps not recognizing it at all and being constantly confused about others, further pushing him into the younger sibling role for both Raph and Leo because they might see that as him "struggling with something basic" (heavy quotation marks)?

Which would make Mikey (who is a fairly emotions driven person) and Donnie have difficulties communicating/Donnie having difficulties being a decent older brother. And Leo being worried and distracted by Donnie having a soft shell and maybe falling into the trap of "hey Mikey's shell is hard like Raph's and Mine so he's probably going to be okay, not like this bozo over here".

ANYWAYS I AM FERAL OVER THIS THE COLOUR SYMBOLISM AND HOW IT COULD REFLECT THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER AND DYNAMICS BUT ALSO SHOWING HOW THEY WERE TREATED (as creatures to be colour coded rather than named and raised) IS OUGOUHGOUGUHGOU !!1 <- howling

FINAL NOTE: I keep thinking about how Donnie might have first gotten into science by testing which materials could help make him less "weak" (cover up the soft shell) and how his soft-shell-only years could have been defined as him being the "official most fragile" brother. And how finding a way to mimic a hard shell would be what he needed to officially be more equal to the rest of the brothers, and how he might've fallen in love with science then but it's intrinsically tied to his self worth and need to prove that he can pull his own weight/be helpful enough to stick around and be treated as an equal. And how his science experiments might have been what got him some of Splinter's earliest acknowledgements and AAAAA

Like maybe before he was "the purple one" he was "the soft shelled one" or "the weakest one" or (more extreme) the "defective turtle" (because turtles are known for having hard shells, so why didn't he?). And how he leans into the purple so much is because he's trying to erase that feeling of being defined as not a name or not even a colour, but by how "weak" he was, and his intelligence could be some level of survival mechanism to not be stuck in a loop of negativity towards himself and be an equal in an already extremely small world where his existence itself is "a crime against nature" so to speak.

He will be loud about being the purple one because he'd even give up being the smart one because he would much rather be defined as even a singular colour than just "the defective one". That's why he'll make bad(?) choices if it's got something to do with the colour purple, because unlike the rest he wasn't even dignified a colour when he was young and feels like he has to fight for it or earn it, to some level.

<- I am so normal about him I swear I swear I'm not biting him like a dog and rapidly shaking him like a chew toy. I am so normal about him your honour

A LOT of this is based on where I am in the show now and my educated guesses on what I know about the characters and what I've watched and YEAH I could be completely wrong about their early lives maybe they like, all fell out of a tube one by one and the "big time difference" between their ages is like, minutes vs seconds lol. Maybe it's entirely head canons maybe I've done analysis. BUT YEAH ANYWAYS THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS THANSK FOR READING IF YOU DO GET THIS FAR, I AM SO FERAL ABOUT THIS SHOW AND I AM BLAMING YOU (compliment, positive, cheering in the distance)

IM Always happy to make someone feral about my favorite Media.

There’s wayyy to much here to really respond to but I basically agree with most of the stuff you’ve said. (and the only stuff you've got wrong you only got wrong cause you havent finished the show lol)

The thing about the colors is that Red, Blue, Orange, and Purple are already the TMNT colors and there’s no way you could get away with changing them in a new reboot without people getting mad, I think hhahfadsf. THAT BEING SAID I think your analysis of their colors is still very fitting and cool and interesting, even if the out-of-universe reason they are that way is cuz that’s how they’ve always been.

NO SPOILERS but later on Donnie has an ep that basically confirms his tech and self worth are connected and idk if you know this, but Donnie and Mikey canoncially have autism/adhd.

I LOVEEED reading ur thoughts on the characters and their minds and im SO GLAD you like it ahsdfasdf

#nnstuff #ask #long post

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lastoneout · 3 years

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What are you hoping to see in season 3 of lower decks?

This got long anon sorry lol I just have THOUGHTS

Def Boimler and Mariner's friendship being focused on at the level that the writers were setting it up to be in the first 15 episodes of the show I mean what

I mean to elaborate on that I would like to see the loose ends of their arcs with each other wrapped up because I don't really think the second half of s2 did them justice after the importance that was placed on their bond in episode five. The writers then having them barely interact for the rest of the season just felt...off to me. I do hope we see more of where the two of them are in their arcs and their friendship since honestly their friendship is what sold me on the show in the first place.

I am interested in what Mike and the actress who plays Jen have been hinting at in interviews about Jen and Mariner's relationship being rocky. I kind of have a feeling the relationship isn't going to last past s3, just because they make it sound like this could be the big final push Mariner needs to realize that the way she approaches relationships isn't healthy and if she doesn't put the effort in to change she will actually start to lose people who are important to her as opposed to them just being irritated at her and then forgiving her when she says sorry, which is how the WC4 has dealt with her up to this point.

Like Jen just doesn't seem like the type of character who would just forgive Mariner if she actually fucked up big time(which lord has she in canon) and would actually call Mariner out for any bullshit, or potentially end their relationship if she felt like Mariner wasn't putting in the effort to change.

ALSO!! Gimme Andorians being polyamorous!! Jen's actress kinda hinted at Mariner not understanding some fundamental things about Andorian culture and maybe having trouble adjusting, and I'd like to see the show tackle polyamoury tastefully. Like, have Jen act like it's completely normal, which it is, and show that Mariner is the one who needs to adjust to Jen's boundaries, needs, and cultural norms. I think now that Trek has a lot more queer characters and relationships it would be great for them to bring in polyam rep. Just yeah pls do it respectfully.

And this might sound like the shipper in me jumping out but I swear it's not, but I really want to see some eps focusing on Tendi and Boimler's friendship as well as Rutherford and Mariner's. I know this season tried to shake up the usual pairings with...mixed success imo(Tendi and Mariner's ep kinda left me wondering if they were even friends and also made me like Tendi less which sucked, while the Mariner, Boimler, and Rutherford ep was really strong and sold me on the friendship between the three of them) but I would love to see a bit more focus on the friendships between the people who don't have as much screentime together.

Especially the fact that as far as we know Mariner and Rutherford were the first of the WC4 to be on the Cerritos. I'd love to know if they were friends before everything and how said friendship started. Also yes I ship it and yes I want to see an ep with them as the A or B plot so sue me lmao. I also think the dynamic between Tendi and Boimler has a lot of potential and I'd love to see that explored more as well!

And again, not the shipper jumping out!! But I think there's also potential with the fact that as far as we've seen Boimler and Tendi will probably be the first to be promoted among the main cast. I think there could be an interesting ep about Mariner and Rutherford bonding over feeling a bit left behind, as well as Tendi and Boimler bonding over the stress of their new responsibilities.

As for minor stuff, more of Shaxs and Rutherford since they are hilarious and wholesome together, more of T'lyn(though I doubt we are going to get that), more Kayshon, as well as a Sequoia shuttle origin story and/or just more of it I love that background detail.

In terms of stuff I'd like to see done better...I feel like a lot of my issues with s2 kinda boil down to the feeling that the writers are struggling to balance the Big Emotional Character Moments with the comedy and plot. It doesn't help that the seasons are SO short and the eps are only twenty minutes(god I'd love to see them get proper 15-24 ep seasons or even just 45 minute episodes), so I really hope they hit their stride and find a way to balance everything, or just maybe back off on either the comedy or the emotion so it doesn't feel so...off. (Imo they should tone down the comedy, you don't need the show to be a laugh a minute, you can take time to let the emotion breathe and have the show still be funny.)

But yeah that's it sorry this got long lmao I have many thoughts head full.

#long post

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theshinsun · 4 years

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Hyuuga and Izuki for character thing please? 🙃

Oh sweet, thanks for sending some more! This may be long bc there’s two again.

Hyuuga

How I feel about this character

A+ captain 👌. He puts up with so much shit and loves his team so much and he’s such a good character okay, so much respect. That whole arc where he quits basketball and Kiyoshi has to convince him to play and you can just Tell he still loves the game he’s just been severely discouraged (”I know that! that’s why I’m so bored every day!”) that was *chef’s kiss*. I also love the bit where he asks Riko how he can make shots under pressure and she threatens to break his shit for every one he misses and he Actually Agrees like goddamn. That’s dedication. Also this absolute NERD collecting army general figures (people pass it off as him forcing a new hobby when he’s quitting bball but he actually does seem to love them and know a lot about them and I love that). He’s so good. His relationship with the whole team is so good and his ability to lead them and keep even the uppity freshman duo in line is perfect. Quality organic senpai material.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Riko (100% canon team parents and that one valid straight ship. I love how they can be this terrifying evil duo and still so sweet with each other, how they support each other and get on each other’s nerves and still have each other/the team’s back at all times. wholesome af)

Kiyoshi (their whole relationship is amazing, from the way they meet and Kiyoshi’s pestering and Hyuuga refusing to acknowledge that he’s right and they work well together, and then finally getting his shit together and that Promise he makes when Kiyoshi is injured?? good shit good shit. I also like him, Kiyoshi and Riko as a poly trio.)

Mibuchi (I MEAN. Mibuchi’s interest in Hyuuga is canon and the way he’s so flirty with him is actually pretty adorable. I’d love for them to actually be a couple with Hyuuga trying to be the stoic unfazed cool guy and then Mibuchi opens his fucking mouth and he turns into a blushing stammering mess)

Izuki (what can I say I love ships that come with banter. these guys have got some long-standing history too, and I’m always a sucker for that. Izuki would drive Hyuuga up the fucking wall but they’ve also got some major camaraderie and obviously care for each other a lot. it’d def never be boring when they’re together)

Sakurai (get that apologetic mushroom. the dynamic between these two is so odd but it kinda just works for me, esp Sakurai’s sulkiness trying to prove he’s better that he doesn’t really show anyone else)

Kasamatsu (give me them good captain ships hells ye. I feel like Kasamatsu’s really come to respect him by the second Kaijo/Seirin game and they’re both such tough unyielding characters I’d love to see them get to be soft together)

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Kiyoshi (I can’t have a non-romantic OTP without it also working as a romantic ship can I) what can I say, the reason they work so well as a ship is also the reason they work so well as friends. The history and mutual trust between them, the determination and the promise that binds them together, they’re just such a good pair no matter how they fit together. They’ve also got a healthy dose of exasperated teasing banter about them and you know I eat that shit up.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Blond Hyuuga is valid. *braces self*

LISTEN my kink is long hair ok and even if he’d gotten it cut again I kinda wish he’d kept the color the bleached blond works with his eyes. Fight me.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Guy wears rimless glasses and plays basketball and you’re telling me he never gets them broken even once? It’s not so much a suggestion for improvement as much as a nitpick for realism’s sake, but it was the first damn thing my roommate pointed out about him and now I can’t stop thinking it.

Izuki

How I feel about this character

ALL HAIL THE PUN MASTER. Tbh I kinda wish I spoke some modicum of Japanese just so the majority of this guy’s jokes wouldn’t fly over my head, but still, even from what my ear and the subs have been able to gather, game recognize game. Izuki’s just an enjoyable character tbh, the way he puts his all into basketball with the rest of his team, the way he’s been playing the longest out of all of them and polished his skills over time, his intellect, his good jokes and absolutely TERRIBLE jokes and the way he harasses/bonds with Hyuuga, he’s such an all-around good egg and I don’t see him get enough love.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

This list will be pretty short bc there aren’t all that many people... he interacts with one-on-one in canon? Which is kinda a shame tbh.

Hyuuga (As I said above, they’ve got history, they poke each other and get up in each other’s space and still have a rock solid foundation of support and trust for each other they’re a pure ship)

Kiyoshi (who on this team wouldn’t love this big lug to pieces? these two seem to be the only ones in Seirin with any common sense [at times they’ve also both got their fair share of nonsense to be sure] and have their own respectively odd personalities that would probably mesh really well together)

Takao (I talked about their birds-of-a-feather dynamic before in my list for Takao and I stand by it. they’re a good match with lots in common and the sass would be Endless)

Hayama (the ONE PERSON he gets to laugh at his jokes. they’re such an unlikely fit but I love the idea of the two of them just wreaking havoc as a couple)

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Koganei (say whaat at last a purely platonic relationship for this question). They’re such good bros tho, idk if I could see them as a couple, per se, but the way they play off each other is always hilarious and the way they each do their part to work together and support the team is fuckin wholesome. The arc of them working with Kiyoshi to form Seirin’s team in the first place is quality, and the shenanigans they get into over the course of the show never fail to delight me. Just a solid, good friendship that I’m here for.

My unpopular opinion about this character

LET HIM MAKE PUNS. This is more a disagreement with the characters in the show itself than with the fandom, but this guy is fuckin witty (even if his jokes are often groan-worthy, the wordplay itself, from what I’m able to understand, is really clever and that shit’s not easy to come up with on the spot). I respect his efforts and enthusiasm, at least, and as someone whose personality also revolves around lame jokes I will defend this guy to the grave.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

We get the briefest, barest mention of him being the one who’s played basketball since way back in grade school and therefore being the most experienced player, but it’s way in season 3 and is never really explored in any depth. Can we get some more backstory/growth for this guy, please? He doesn’t suffer from a lack of screentime (none of the Seirin guys do really) but I think a few of them do suffer from a lack of character development, and this guy’s got the foundation for something great I’m just not sure it was followed through on as well as it could’ve been.

Tbh considering how well all the characters — even minor ones — in a show like, say... Haikyuu!! are fleshed out and given time and ways to grow and change, I just wish some of KNB’s supporting characters got the same love. It’s one of the show’s main weaknesses and while it doesn’t necessarily detract from the experience, there’s definitely some room for improvement there and I’m just kinda sad we didn’t get it.

#Answered #shin speaks #hyuuga junpei #izuki shun #knb #long post #hey thanks it was really nice to take a deep dive into these characters and show them some appreciation #i appreciate them and I appreciate YOU #<3

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whateverisbeautiful · 6 years

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Richonne in Retrospect

#10: The Seeing Things (3x12)

So this “see things” moment with Rick and Michonne really helped me to see things more clearly in terms of realizing Richonne was truly meant to be and also a long time coming. It was so sweet and this whole scene is my favorite moment of the episode.😊

But before that, there’s some little Richonne connections that I saw and picked up on as well when I re-watched it.

During Rick and Morgan’s confrontation, Rick tells him, “This can’t be it. You gotta be able to come back from this”. And while he’s saying that to Morgan, it also can apply to him and Michonne, cuz Michonne is a big reason why losing Lori wasn’t it for Rick and he came back from that. And Michonne will also mention how Rick and Carl brought her back at the end of season 4.

I think probably one of the hardest thing to do in a world like that is to come back to who you were before and not let the world change you so much that you’re no longer recognizable, so I just like knowing that these two were able to play such a big part in helping each other remember who they are and not just who they had to become to survive.

Like you know that’s a powerful connection when you’re able to bring someone back to their true self. Here for it.

We get R&M’s second thank you of the day when she takes that backpack for him. Look at Rick being all appreciative lol. As they head out, Michonne sees Morgan and says, “He’s okay” and Rick’s honest that, “No he’s not.”

It’s a quick little exchange but I like this cuz it could be easy for Rick to want to be prideful and not want to admit that she was right about Morgan being a bit dangerous or at least not as okay as he hoped but instead he just tells her the truth.

Also I really like the moment of Carl deciding to speak to Morgan to let him know he had to shoot him and sweetly apologizing. It’s very mature and also lets you know Carl has been a G for the longest, y’all.

And Morgan calling Carl “son” always makes me sad cuz it just really hits home how he lost his own son and that loss is what made him lose his mind.

It’s also a deep moment to me because Morgan is talking to Carl, the kid he had only heard about from Rick in the very beginning, and Rick was lucky enough to have found his son and still have him.

And now we gotta talk about one of my favorite retrospect moments with Rick and Carl and Michonne loading up the car.

So first; When Michonne’s briefly away, Rick asks Carl if everything’s okay with her. And, y’all, you know that he is very curious about this. Like he says it causally but Homeboy really wants to know cuz he knows he wants the answer to be “yes”.

And I love that Carl gives him so much more than a “yes”. Instead he says my favorite line of this whole series, cuz I really do adore Carl’s adorable response of, “I think she might be one of us.” 😊😭😊

First of all; you better speak that gospel truth, little Carl!

That statement is just pure facts. And even tho he meant she’s one of us in terms of a member of the group as a whole, I really feel like deep down he knew she was a Grimes. 😊😭😊

And second of all; I love this statement because it makes it crystal clear to Rick that it’s okay to consider Michonne at least an official member of the group. Like she just got the son seal of approval. That’s big.

But y’all this is how I know Rick’s question about Michonne wasn’t so causal, cuz Rick then proceeds to have an adorably extra response when Carl says she’s one of us. 😂

Homeboy’s practically lit to receive this confirmation that he was right to think there was something special about her. I’m all the way here for it.

Cuz remember in the beginning of the episode Carl wanted to find reasons to dislike Michonne and Rick kept trying to help Michonne’s case and now Carl’s telling him Michonne checks out, like Rick low key really hoped she would.

So Rick does this whole little extra taken aback thing cuz Michonne stays bringing out the extra-ness in him and then he says “What?” And then Carl smiles and says, “Everything went okay” and it’s clear my little homie Carl is a fan of Michonne now. ☺️ It’s also clear that Carl’s thinking “alright here’s my dad being extra again.” 😋

And Rick’s all smiley cuz this is great news to him. Like you can’t look at this man and say feelings haven’t been caught...

I love that he’s so visibly happy to hear this. Like this reaction is how Rick really feels about Michonne. Not that “patch you up and you’re gone” stuff. And he probably feels a sense of relief too cuz he’s like at least I might be feeling some type of way about a woman my son really approves of lol.

This moment is pretty important, cuz Michonne getting the son seal of approval is a big step in the making of Richonne.

Also, this is probably the first time Rick’s seen Carl look sincerely happy since Lori, so you know that means a lot to him.

And this exchange between Rick and Carl is even better when you know how much Michonne is going to enhance their life and how she’s going to become the matriarch of their family.

So Carl goes to the car and Rick looks out like he’s seeing something in the distance, and even tho we don’t see what he sees, I think it’s inferred that he’s seeing ghost Lori.

There really does seem to be a pattern of Rick seeing her when something pertains to Michonne. Now if Ghost Lori keeps showing up to let Rick know Michonne is the one for him, then Ghost Lori gets major points for that lol.

And then we get this moment of Michonne catching him in this state which is significant cuz it’s the show’s way of letting us know Michonne is one of the few who gets insight into all sides of Rick, even the sides he tries to hide or downplay. She sees Rick the person not just Rick Grimes the man, myth, and legend. 😋

And I love that she brings up what she just saw, like as personal as it may be to talk to him about him seeing his dead wife they clearly feel comfortable enough or trust each other enough to at least begin to talk about this deep subject.

She says, “I know you see things. People.” She’s just so understanding and kind and gentle in this scene and the way she tries to connect with him by saying “I used to talk to my dead boyfriend. It happens.” is so precious cuz you can see her trying to show him a more human side of her.

And like she hasn’t opened up like this before so it’s interesting that she’s willing to do this for Rick even in the beginning of their relationship.

And I love that she says “It happens” in a way that lets him know he’s not alone or crazy. Rick desperately needs someone to see him this deeply and understand him like this and of course it would be his future wife who does this so effortlessly. 🙌🏾

And then y’all, this upcoming part of the scene is what really confirmed to me after their canon episode that there is no way their romantic relationship “came out of nowhere”.

Like when I first saw this last part of their interaction with fresh eyes I was legit like...

Cuz this was def their first little successful attempt at flirting. 😋 He asks her if she wants to drive which I’m glad he asks and doesn’t just expect her to lol. And him asking this is also his way of saying I trust you. And then I love how she says yeah. Like this friendship is definitely budding.

But then we see that it’s a whole lot more than just a friendship budding when he cutely says, “Good. Cuz I see things.” Y’all fr how cute are they? 😊

They’re definitely having a moment and I really feel like they have to be in the “aware of attraction” phase by now. I love Rick’s response cuz it’s a way to admit that she’s right about him seeing things, while also keeping things light hearted. And that lingering look he gives her, it’s like he also sees things when he sees her. He sees the sun and the moon and the stars, y’all. 😊💯

Also, it’s interesting cuz when Rick was talking to Morgan earlier he was repeatedly telling him how Morgan isn’t seeing things right. And so in that context, Rick also “sees things” because he’s able to see that there are still things to fight for in this world. And I love that Michonne will become one of those things worth fighting for to him.

And one thing is for sure from this episode; Rick and Michonne both see each other pretty clearly.

And then when Rick walks away, Michonne stays in that moment a little longer with a smile that says “Alright I think these just might be my people.” ☺️

It’s all great and I’m glad they get this sweet moment, especially before the deal over her comes up. Cuz now with an established friendship between them, Rick will feel more inclined to keep her apart of the family.

In 3x11, Hershel told Rick that he needed to get his head clear. And I feel like by embracing Michonne in his life a little more, Rick slowly but surely starts to get his head clear.

So of course the episode is called “Clear” because of Morgan but also because I think Rick and Michonne both get some clarity after this episode as they move one step closer to the one they’re meant to be with.

They definitely drive away from this expedition with a new and closer dynamic between the three of them and I took notice of how when they’re driving back they seem to drive past that same spot they got stuck in at the beginning and they don’t get stuck this time. It’s almost to unintentionally symbolize how they’ve overcome a hurdle or block in their relationship which will make for much smoother sailing here on out. (or at least after he nearly gives her up to the Governor lol)

As they drive, they pass by the orange backpack guy who’s met a tragic fate and it’s an interesting statement on the brutality of this world and the dangers of not getting let in.

And then they drive the car back for Carl to pick up the backpack cuz this is a resourceful family. 👏🏽👏🏽

Honestly this was such a good episode. It gave us the beginning of Richonne and Grimes 2.0 so how could it not be good? 😋

Also, as Rick and Michonne and Carl drive away I love the song at the end. It’s interesting that the song repeats the lyrics “lead me home” cuz soon enough the three people in that car will all become home to one another. 😊👌🏽

#richonne #the walking dead #twd #richonne fandom #richonne family #rick grimes #michonne grimes #michonne #s3 #carl grimes #grimes 2.0 #clear

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