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jbuffyangel · 28 days

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One: Arrow 2x02 Review (Identity)

I often think if I was online in Season 2, and joined the fandom earlier, then my viewing experience would have been completely different. I would've been more confident Oliver and Felicity were going to happen. But I was not, so I spent the majority of the season flip flopping between confidence and feeling like I was hallucinating the whole thing.

But “Identity” is one of those episodes an Olicity shipper can point to and say, “Yes!!! I AM RIGHT!!! There is something going on with these two.” Oliver and Felicity are nowhere near ready defining what that “something” is, and neither was I, but this episode is a core building block of their relationship and the new direction the writers were taking the show.

And it’s so much damn fun.

Let’s dig in…

Olicity

Oliver is having a rough week. His mother is in prison for “helping” to destroy the Glades which killed many and injured more. It is not a fun time to have the last name Queen. Oliver is trying in earnest to make a difference in the city not only as The Arrow (I’m just calling him that. I don’t care if they’ve done it officially order not), but also as Oliver Queen.

Blood (what a horrifically bad last name), the new Alderman, is not letting the Queens get off that easily and is raking Oliver over the coals in the press. People hate him because Oliver is the poster boy for everything wrong in the city. Since he operates under a secret identity, Oliver can’t really say “Lighten up. I am literally saving your asses on a nightly basis.”

Is this treatment unfair? Yes. We know Oliver did everything he could stop the Undertaking. Is this treatment fair because Oliver’s family were accomplices in the Undertaking? Yes. Sins of the father (and mother).

The good news is Oliver is trying to make a difference not just as The Arrow but as Oliver Queen. Oliver assures Blood he’s his own man and commits to hosting a benefit so all the elites in Starling City can see how the other half live and actually do something about it. Blood balks at Oliver writing a check, but agrees to the benefit – which is just a bunch of rich people writing more checks, so I didn’t really follow him round that logic bend, but whatever. Blood agrees to the benefit because he believes Oliver Queen can be the face of the new rich regime in Starling City – the kind that gives a crap about other people.

Oliver is also embracing his new role as CEO at Queen Consolidated, which means he needs a secretary to schedule the meetings and make all the coffee.

Source: @yet-i-remain-quiet

The whole scene has a snap, crackle and pop that quite frankly Season 1 was severely lacking. I’m all for dark and twisty, but can we inject a little levity once and awhile?

Source: @yet-i-remain-quiet

Felicity is rightfully furious with Oliver for promoting (or demoting) her into a job she absolutely does not want. His reasoning is Felicity needs a secret identity to cover up why they are talking all the time. This pretty much boils down to Oliver not wanting to take an elevator down eighteen floors several times a day. I have lived with a heterosexual man for twenty years and he avoids stairs like the plague, so nothing has ever been more accurate on this show.

Let’s break this down a little further, shall we? You have a phone, Oliver. You could just call Felicity. Not every conversation has to be in person. Also, to answer the question of why he’s talking to Felicity Smoak all the time, I feel certain people would just assume they are hooking up. I mean… he is Oliver Queen.

But nope, Felicity must be within fifteen feet of him ALL DAY LONG. For business reasons and business reasons only. Absolutely has nothing to do with Felicity’s sexy little dresses. NOPE! Nothing to see here folks.

The blasé way Oliver refuses her resignation only infuriates Felicity more. He offers her a new fancy computer to entice her, but then asks her to make dinner reservations with it. Something Oliver could Google.

I’m not coming down on secretaries and neither is Felicity. I was a secretary or administrative assistant as they like to call it nowadays for many years. You have to be smart, organized, great communication skills… yada yada yada. But asking Felicity Smoak, TECH GENIUS, to be a secretary is tantamount to asking me to be a Tech genius. That math ain’t mathing.

Oliver argues they all have jobs they don’t want. He’s CEO, Felicity is a secretary and Diggle -

Diggle: It could be worse. My secret identity is his black driver.

HA!! The accuracy. Just a healthy reminder of racial inequalities. Oliver’s withering stare only makes it better.

Let’s examine Felicity’s decision a little closer. She could just quit or absolutely refuse and return to her desk in the IT department. Oliver isn’t really going to fire her. Instead, Felicity acquiesces and makes the damn dinner reservation. Oliver is not the only one who prefers closer proximity.

But she is never EVER bringing Oliver Queen coffee.

From a practical standpoint, it would be weird for Oliver to hang out in the IT department and talk shop. A private office where they can CEO & secretary by day to cover up their crime fighting activities does make a lot of sense. He doesn’t have to explain why Felicity is by his side all the time.

The whole scene has “I want to rip your clothes off” energy, which is just fabulous. But most importantly, this job change moves Felicity into every facet of Oliver’s life – both day and night. The writers don’t need to search for reasons for these two to be in a scene together. There’s only so many bullet ridden computers Felicity can fix. Ultimately, this means more scenes with Stephen Amell for Emily Bett Rickards. She might not be number two on the call sheet, but Emily is clocking more time with Arrow’s lead. That’s all I’m saying.

This is not the end of the Olicity fighting!!!

Oliver has a run in with the cops and Laurel, while he’s trying to stop China White and Bronze Tiger from stealing the FEMA medicine trucks intended for the Glades’ hospital. Oliver is shot in the leg, which just adds to his annoyance that his efforts to save this damn city were thwarted by his ex-girlfriend and Walmart Wolverine.

Diggle: Why because this time it’s Laurel leading the charge?

Diggle makes an unsarcastically snarky remark about Laurel, which sets Oliver off, and he yells at John.

Source: Paige

AND FELICITY YELLS RIGHT BACK.

She refuses to let Oliver take his frustrations out on Diggle, particularly when he’s being an insensitive jackass.

Felicity: You don’t get to jump down his throat just because you happen to be having a lousy week. Ok? You’re pissed he invoked the almighty Laurel. You’re not the only one whose love life is taking it on the chin.

Oliver has been incessantly brining up Carly all episode and Felicity is furious he hasn’t noticed how upset Diggle looks whenever he does. They broke up and Oliver is too self-involved to notice.

There are so many things I love about this moment. Felicity grabs Oliver’s arm to force him to listen and there’s a glorious look of shock on Oliver’s face when she does because nobody, and I do mean nobody, ever talks to him like this. Not even John. But Oliver doesn’t move Felicity’s hand away.

Felicity also makes a snarky comment about Laurel. That “almighty Laurel” not very subtle. Perhaps, we are seeing a little jealousy seep through? It’s true Oliver twists himself into a pretzel for Laurel Lance, often to the detriment of the mission. I’m sure Felicity and Diggle are tired of the off again and on-again rollercoaster of Lauriver – much like the audience. Oliver’s hyperfocus on his weekly soap opera with Laurel must be aggravating at this point – particularly when he’s oblivious to his best friend’s pain.

Finally, I love the way Oliver calls after Felicity, the gentle way he drags out her name syllable by syllable, as she storms off. Between Oliver’s attitude this week and the new job – Felicity needs a break. She holds Oliver accountable and takes the space she needs.

Oliver’s no good, very bad day continues when he’s forced to choose between the benefit with Blood and saving the next FEMA shipment to the hospital. Of course, Oliver chooses the hood and with Diggle & Felicity’s help is able stop China White and Bronze Tiger.

China White: You’ll never be anything but a criminal to them, which means you’ll never be a hero.

Oliver: As long as the city is safe, it doesn’t matter.

Oliver Queen is doing all of this for the right reasons. His heart is in the right place even if his execution isn’t always perfect. As predicated, Blood chews him up in the press for missing the benefit. More proof that Oliver is a selfish elitist no different than his parents. It stings, particularly since Oliver valiantly tried to straddle the line between his two personas. He sullied the Queen family name more by missing the hospital benefit because he was too busy saving the hospital as The Arrow. But nobody will acknowledge the good The Arrow does because he’s a criminal.

Source: @crisistemporal

Oliver doesn’t complain. He just sits at his desk, alone and brooding, taking punch after punch as he watches the news coverage about who he truly is as a person. And it’s all lies.

Source: @yet-i-remain-quiet

But then we hear a “click, click, click” of Felicity’s heels. There are no further discussions. No more arguments. No apologies. She simply sets down a cup of coffee and firmly whispers to Oliver -

Source: @yet-i-remain-quiet

It’s just one cup of coffee, but it says so much. Oliver may drive Felicity crazy with his stubbornness, and he can be an insensitive jackass sometimes, but his heart is in the right place. Felicity knows everything Oliver does for the city. She knows who he truly is, and Felicity knows Oliver doesn’t deserve what’s being said about him. This cup of coffee is more than a peace offering. It’s empathy.

Oliver’s surprise shifts into a soft smile because he knows with that single word from Felicity, he is forgiven for all the ways he’s failed this week. On the surface, it’s a small gesture. A kindness. But on a deeper level, it’s Felicity believing in Oliver. The world may be against him, but he always has one person in his corner – even when he infuriates her. Its why Felicity took the secretary job. She believes in Oliver.

Source: @yet-i-remain-quiet

The smile fades a little as Oliver gazes after Felicity as she walks out. He watches her for longer than necessary, a look of tenderness and, perhaps, concern. One cup of coffee shouldn’t mean so much. But it does. It means everything. Oliver is clearly not oblivious to his feelings for Felicity, but he is far from admitting them. Falling in love with the unattainable is cause for great concern.

Oliver and Diggle

Felicity was more upset about Oliver’s insensitivity than John was, but they are dudes, so it’s not totally surprising. Also, Diggle is just used to Oliver being somewhat self-absorbed in his own pain. For the most part, it doesn’t bother him, but Oliver constantly bringing up Carly was salt in an open wound.

What’s sweet about the whole thing is Oliver was really trying to be a good friend. He was trying to think about John and be supportive of his relationship. His inability to read Diggle’s reaction means Oliver is still very much in the training wheels portion of his emotionally-sensitive-man development.

Does anyone care that Diggle and Carly broke up? I don’t. I’m thrilled. They had the heat of cardboard and I really need Arrow to focus on chemistry in ALL their ships, please and thank you. Plus, the whole dating your sibling’s significant other thing is weird. Please be done with that kind of storyline.

Diggle: I guess I couldn’t hate him and love her at the same time. You are not the only one reconciling two sides of himself.

It’s not just being Oliver Queen’s right hand man that’s interfering with John’s love life. His obsession with killing Deadshot overshadowed whatever it was he felt for Carly. If you care more about killing someone than loving someone that really sums up the relationship. It’s time to be done.

Diggle’s snarky comment about Laurel was said in part to get a rise out of Oliver. Behold his success. It was a completely passive aggressive remark. Oliver is not the only one who can pour salt into an open wound.

I also believe Diggle is not quite over the whole “You always choose Laurel” fight of Season 1. Both Diggle and Felicity’s comments about Laurel in this episode have less to do with her and more to do with Oliver’s reactions to Laurel. Oliver is upset Laurel isn’t panting every time The Arrow shows up and neither Felicity or Diggle have the patience for this toxic train wreck anymore.

Diggle reassures Oliver that he’s not the only person struggling with duality and John doesn’t always get it right either. The breakup is not Oliver’s fault. Being too wrapped up in his own suffering to see Diggle’s is his fault, however and OLIVER APOLOGIZES. The power of Felicity Smoak is real.

Diggle: We’re dangerous close to hug territory.

The boys aren’t ready to hug yet but give it time my friends. Give it time.

Oliver and Roy

This episode has one of my favorite Oliver and Roy scenes. After getting arrested AGAIN, Oliver tries to talk some sense into Roy, but this time he uses a different tactic – personal experience.

It’s rare Oliver gets to emote like this, and Stephen Amell chewed up this scene. Oliver rarely speaks about his feelings and his explanations for wearing the hood often involve other people. Yes, it’s to honor his father. It’s to save the city. It’s to honor Tommy. But what is the emotion fueling Oliver Queen?

Anger. Still waters run deep my friends. Under that calm, seemingly emotionless, demeanor is a man filled with rage. Oliver Queen was born to privilege and his experiences on Lian Yu woke him up to the unfairness of life. He sees the injustices the weak, poor and vulnerable suffer every day. What makes Oliver Queen a hero is he is DOING something about it. He will be the justice in an unjust world. Oliver is not just saving a city. He’s saving himself. The split persona, man and hood, is the only way Oliver is keeping himself a whole person. The hood is an outlet for rage, but it holds Oliver Queen together. Otherwise, he’d lose himself to the darkness.

This is why he confronts Roy. Oliver recognizes himself in Roy Harper and wants to give him direction. A way to channel that anger that’s not going to get him killed. So, The Arrow gives Roy a job – he’s going to be his eyes and ears in The Glades. No more fighting. Just intel.

Unfortunately, Roy chooses to lie to Thea about his deal with The Arrow. So, another break up is probably coming up soon.

Lian Yu

Oliver is reeling from shock after killing someone for the first time. Slade is rightfully concerned.

Slade: I’ve seen men in war with that look in their eyes. The one that says he’s split into someone else. Someone he doesn’t even recognize. If someone doesn’t talk to him, it’ll tear him up.

Oliver is rightfully concerned about his actions. He is questioning the morality behind it. Shado assures him that he was saving her life, but Oliver is not so sure. Was it completely necessary to kill that man? No, it wasn’t and deep-down Oliver knows that. What came out of him was unbridled rage and that has him scared.

Shado takes it upon herself to lead Oliver to the river where she washes off the blood. It feels like a baptism – the split between selves is being anointed and blessed. She argues that an island cannot make Oliver into something he is not.

Shado: Everyone has a demon inside of them… opposing forces inside all of us. The darkness the light. The killer and the hero.

Oliver may feel he is two people now, but the duality was always there – he’s just more aware of it. Every person has the power for good and evil. Our life is the culmination of choices. The cosmic balance sheet is for God alone to judge.

Oliver is right to be concerned, but the fact that he is concerned, is further proof that he is still a good man. Evil people rarely reflect on right or wrong because they don’t care.

Speaking of duality, how uber creepy was Slade this episode? It completely wigged me out the way he watched Oliver and Shado by the river post coital. Sure, everyone mostly had their clothes on, but it has STALKER written all of over it.

Also, Slade advising Oliver women are a distraction who will get him killed did not feel ultraistic in nature. Slade is clearly in love with Shado and Oliver is completely oblivious to it. There is a darkness lurking underneath Slade and Oliver’s friendship, one that is glaringly obvious when compared to the present-day scenes with John Diggle.

Laurel Lance

Ugh. Laurel. She finally explains why she hates the Vigilante so much. She blames him for Tommy’s death.

Laurel: You didn’t save him. You were too busy fighting a meaningless duel with Malcolm Merlyn. And when people, people you told me you would protect, needed your help you weren’t there. I don’t think you wear that hood because you’re a hero. I think you wear it to hide that you’re a coward.

Yes, Oliver was fighting Malcolm Merlyn on a rooftop while Tommy was saving Laurel’s ass at CNRI, but the duel was hardly meaningless. He was fighting Merlyn for the remote control to the earthquake machine.

You know what? The details don't even matter. I don’t need to defend Oliver against something this stupid.

The only reason Tommy was in the Glades was to save Laurel. If Laurel just listened to Oliver, then Tommy would be alive today. Laurel is projecting all her guilt onto the Hood because it’s too emotionally devasting to be the reason the love of her life is dead. That part of it I understand and sympathize.

My main source of frustration is with Oliver because he just CANNOT let it go with this woman. He has a pathological need for her approval. Oliver doesn’t want Laurel to know he’s the Hood, but he absolutely wants her validation. Oliver used the Hood all last season as a mechanism to build a relationship with Laurel that he couldn’t have as Oliver Queen.

Now that Laurel is good with Oliver again, he’s obsessed with making her buddies with the Hood. She is only going to like one half of you at a time Oliver. It's fine. Who cares?

The Hood even tells Laurel he would have gladly given his life for Tommy. WHY DIDN’T THIS RAISE AN ALARM WITH LAUREL?

I don’t recall Tommy and the Hood being too chummy. In fact, Tommy was adamant Laurel have nothing to do with that guy because he was dangerous. So, the Hood arguing he also lost a friend and would have given his life for Tommy should set off some bells in Ms. Assistant District Attorney. The longer Laurel goes without figuring out who Oliver Queen is the stupider she looks.

She does get something right. Laurel knows telling the Hood to stay away will only make him come around again and Oliver plays right into her hands. Only this time Laurel has the whole precinct waiting for the Hood. We’re supposed to be worried but there will be a trick arrow to get him out of this jam.

Stray Thoughts

How much do you love that Felicity is using a counting method to control her Freudian slips?

I hate China White. I know we’re supposed to love her because COMICS, but every episode with her in it is so stupid from a bad guy perspective.

“I had a secret entrance installed when I ran the club.” Ok, but did Oliver install it himself? Did he pay off the contractor? I have questions.

“He has this way of seducing you. Making you feel like he’s some guardian angel. But he’s not. He causes chaos and death.” Well that went dark rather quickly.

WHY IS LAUREL THERE? (My notes, which we can apply to pretty much any scene with this character). Why was Laurel with the cops out in the field trying to arrest the Hood? That doesn’t feel like a normal Assistant DA duties.

“It seems someone has broken our coffee maker. Violently.” Oliver loves Felicity's sass. Look at that smile. He’s such a fool for this woman.

“It really weirds me out to no end that you refer to yourself in the third person like that.” Diggle had some golden one-liners this episode.

“Crucifixion has such a bad reputation. The Romans used it to punish people who acted against the public good.” A clear sign someone is a total whack job is when they argue the benefits of Crucifixion. IS THIS GUY FOR REAL????!!! See, what we’re not going to do is wax poetically about the way the Romans tortured people.

Diggle wore a mask, but then he took it off in front of China White, which was spectacularly stupid unless she already knows Oliver is the Vigilante. I don't remember if she does.

See? We don’t need to kill. We have trick arrows!

Oliver finds the hozen in cave with the skulls of Japanese soldiers from WWII. That’s super gross. The gift shop story was better.

“You can take a beating. There’s a difference.” But he’s the Parkour Prince!

Ok, enough with the RED arrows. We get it.

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 2x02 (hasn’t posted yet but it will soon!)

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Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me!

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milk-ducts · 6 months

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doc sesimic is the literal personification of a cat oh mggdodd.

doc sesmic after suffering several hemorrhages:

#invincible #invincible season 2 #mark grayson #invincible spoilers #id like to mention I WILL be rewatching it to review the episode #will watch it two times basically #one for enjoyment ;; fhe other for analytical purposes #cuz my mind simply cannot do both .#loving it so far #the lil stray hairs on his head r just misplaced whiskers

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thisonlyguy-49 · 1 year

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Helluva Boss Season 2 Ep. 3: “Exes and Oohs” In A Nutshell

Moxxie deserves a hug.

#helluva boss #helluva boss season 2 #helluva boss review #helluva boss memes #funny memes #helluva boss blitzo #helluva boss moxxie #helluva boss millie #helluva boss crimson #helluva boss chaz #ThisOnlyGuy shitposts #ThisOnlyGuy reviews #this has been a post #seriously tho this episode was pretty freaking cool #Pics from meme templates #Helluva boss exes and oohs #helluva boss season 2 spoilers #Memes

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steveandbuckysdaughter · 4 months

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Personal review regarding what if…? season 2 episode 8 (spoilers)

No ok, I must admit, the episode was good in some aspects.

Wanda was majestic. Loki and Scott were hilarious and I loved every single moment with them.

Thor was amazing, dark and serious out of loss but still enjoyable, and the crumbs of his relationship with Hela were very nice.

I’ve actually liked Tony for the very first time in my life, probably because I tend to like him a lot more in AUs and fanfictions than I do in the normal timeline.

And then… there were those two.

I will never comprehend why marvel wants Steve to be so dependent on Peggy. And I will never comprehend why, to make him interact with her, they have to destroy or sideline every other relationship he has built, or make his character flat.

Bucky being friends with Scott was amazing, but the fact that him and Steve interacted like two times was extremely disappointing. You’d expect “best friends in every universe”, if you dislike the romantic pairing so much, to acknowledge themselves for more than a few scenes, in only one of which they’re in frame together (Bucky was literally 😐 while his best friend disappeared, come on now).

And the storyline about Peggy coming from another world to save the universe was just… Mbah. It could’ve been executed in another way without including her and it still would have made sense. It really feels like a Y/N insert.

Seeing literally any other character was so good, so fun, and they had to ruin it this way, making Peggy once again the self insert and girlboss she didn’t need to be.

Plus, forgive my constant complaining, but it’s extremely infuriating how all of Steve’s friends were eliminated to put the focus solely on Peggy. Where’s Sam? Where’s Nat? Where’s Clint? It’s not an underrated friendship we’re talking about, a big chunk of the fandom loves the cap quartet or team cap, and after civil war it would have been nice to see them interact, especially after its popularity and popular demand. Outlaw team cap would have been glorious, a good chance to bring back many characters who aren’t here anymore in the right way, and involve characters that are rarely involved in What if in the storyline, for a change.

The treatment of Sam in this series particularly angers me, and even more so in this episode. I understand not involving him in other storylines, but Sam was a big part of CATWS and he wasn’t even in the episode centered on that film. What, because Steve met him while running he can’t be introduced in any other way? And oh, there’s no excuse for this episode. If there was one episode they could have placed Sam in, it was this one. Sam was there in infinity war, where the mess happened, and he should have been with the other avengers in this one.

If marvel wanted to involve someone from another universe so bad, it should have been a Captain America Sam from another universe. Can you imagine the poetry of seeing Steve and Nat again after endgame? Can you imagine having closure with them both, and having fun in the process? It would have been so great.

Another great storyline without involving characters from other universes would have been one where Steve, who touched the time stone, accidentally brought everyone in the past, and he was the only one to remember it. And to go back and prevent everyone’s distraction, he had to recruit the avengers, who don’t know him and don’t trust him but that in the end become his friends and companions. It would have been so interesting to see the original avengers involved in something different from being some side characters or extras in the one woman show that seems to be What if, constantly centered around the same bland, one dimensional reimagined side character. Peggy’s blandness is so obvious in these episodes (aside for some random remarks that made me smile) that literally everyone who’s involved directly with her must be bland like her, otherwise risking to overshadow her.

I don’t think I was supposed to cringe and look away as much as I did during Steggy’s forced scenes, but I did. If they had to force Steggy and Peggy down our throats, at least they could have done something different from the same bland and boring storyline as always. I wouldn’t be as mad as I am now if Peggy and Steve’s relationship wasn’t as bland. I would have preferred an enemies to lovers type of twist or change, where Steve doesn’t trust Peggy and struggles with her because he sees in her a different version of the Peggy that died in that universe. But noooo, god forbid, let’s go with the same old song.

An episode five or ten minutes longer with a better, avengers-centric or Steve-centric storyline would have been much better than what we got.

And given that this was my most anticipated episode, I was very disappointed by it. I hope for the next seasons, if there’s other ones, Marvel will listen to the general complaint regarding Peggy and will give her a break. I don’t think any of the original avengers or relevant MCU characters made as much appearances as Peggy, and being a main focus in four episodes out of nine is ridiculous.

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ezras-left-thumb · 6 days

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PART 2 - FLASH STRIKE (TBB SEASON 3) (SPOILERS)

Emerie walked in. Of course she did. The way my jaw D R O P P E D when the two made the dreaded Eye Contact. Oh, Echo. The 501st were never good at lying.

And Emerie's lil eyebrow raise has me worried.

"Echo." WHAT THE FUUUUUCK. "I-I was doing my job."

STOP. REDEMPTION ARC? EMERIE YOU'RE MAKING IT VERY VERY HARD TO HATE YOU.

wait stop his ears were such a jumpscare why didn't i think of that

Oh my god Emerie yesyesyes come to the liiiight.

Oh my stars. Unless we're getting a surprise part 2 I don't know how or what the hell the production team is gonna put us through. We have half an hour (potentially 1.25 hours from what I've heard) to wrap up this ENTIRE show.

So many things have been left unanswered. Is Wrecker alright? Did the Batch make it inside OK? Do Emerie and Echo find Omega and the others? Where is CX-2? What happened to him? Who will die in the finale, because it's Star Wars and we never get a happy ending?

and is tech really dead, or is he coming back?

#star wars #the bad batch #the bad batch s3 #tbb season 3 spoilers #the bad batch spoilers #tbb omega #tbb wrecker #tbb crosshair #tbb hunter #tbb echo #tbb tech #tbb cx 2 #episode review #flash strike #tbb s3 ep14

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shiro-s2e2-erukinzu · 7 months

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WE ARE FINALLY BACK Y'ALL WITH SEASON 2 EPISODE 1 (or episode 26) of the Spy X Family anime!! 😆

AND WHAT AN AMAZING EPISODE IT WAS!! 😆 I'm so happy to finally see the date chapter (or Extra Mission 2) animated after all this time, it was totally worth the wait...!! 😁 I mean, everyone finally got to see Agent Anya in action!! 😎

I'm so glad that CloverWorks and WIT STUDIOS decided to save this chapter and adapt it for season 2's first episode because it's definitely the perfect place to start things back up...!! 😊

I could probably gush about how good this episode is all day, but I don't always have that kind of time, so on to the difference, changes and additions that I noticed...!! 😁

There was quite a few awesome additions, but my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE ONE has to THIS:

You see, when Extra Mission 2 originally released, Bond was not introduced or apart of the family yet, so fact that they added a scene in the anime with him makes me SO HAPPY!! 😄 (Even if it was just a small scene...!! 😊)

Some other additions include a visual of all of Loid's date plans coming together and then falling apart...:

As well as adding Franky and Anya to the different locations in the date montage!! 😁

And speaking of the date montage, the only location that was cut from it in the anime was the bookstore:

Another small difference that I noticed was that Anya's trench coat didn't have the lines on them like in the manga:

But, I guess that one doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things...! 😅 I just like showing the differences that I can remember off the top of my head to anyone who might be curious about it...!! 😁

Lastly, I don't think this is a change per se, but in the manga, the explosion of Anya's peanut bomb looked a lot more... DEADLY, in my opinion...!!: 😵

But anyway, the was episode 26 of the anime!! Next episode has the scene I've been waiting for to be adapted, so I hope it is done amazingly...!! 😏

I'll see you all next week (depending when I watch the episode because usually do errands for the house on Saturdays) with another episode review!! 😆 So until then, take care, be safe out there and be kind one another!! 💗😊💗 LATER!! 👋😁

Edit:

I FORGOT TO TALK ABOUT THE AMAZING NEW ENDING WE GOT!

IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AND SUPER CUTE...!💗

Okay, now I'm done...!! 😁 Bye for real this time!! 👋😄

#spy x family #sxf #spyxfamily #spyxfamily anime #sxf anime #spy x family anime #spy x family season 2 #episode review #spy x family episode 26

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littlealeta · 2 years

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Rick hugging and rubbing Morty’s hair is an adorable callback to the scene in M. Night Shaym-Aliens. Even better that this isn’t a simulation, this is the real Morty that Rick is doing this to. I know some people were thinking that he was testing to see if Morty was a simulation but I theorized that the reason he was acting weird in the simulation episode was because he knows this Morty isn’t real so he’s able to let his guard down. Now he’s comfortable enough to show him the same sort of affection/playfulness without feeling guilty. The scene in the simulation was so heartwarming despite what was going on and I was really hoping to see Rick do this to the actual Morty someday. I also saw a scene in one of the comics where he also kinda did the same thing too? It was at the end of issue #14.

I have problems with some of the directions they’re taking Rick in these last two seasons. I do think they should tone down on his softness but it’s so nice to see him being domestic and showing affection and being playful and happy with his grandkids again. He just seemed perpetually pouty and petulant around them in seasons 3-4 with only like one scene of genuine bonding between them in each season in seasons 3-5.

Also it’s interesting how we’ve had two separate scenes in this season where one half of the duo is trying to hug while the other is stopping them.

#rick and morty #wholesome rick and morty #rick sanchez #morty smith #i heard some mixed reviews on this episode but omg i can't get over this scene #this season has some problems but i like how Rick is less of a petulant pouty control freak he was in seasons 3-4 #and more of the affectionate touchy feely goofball he was in seasons 1-2 #i wish he was more of a goofball though it's clear that it's still toned down from the early seasons

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ijuststareatstuffhereok89 · 7 months

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I've decided I'm going to watch the episode later...and review it for everyone here.

I used to be the entertainment editor for my college's magazine, and film reviews were by far my favorite part to write and edit. I'm applying for a side gig doing this for a local paper, so maybe for practice I'll write an episode review? If it's good enough I may even add it to my portfolio.

@lokisgoodgirl @holdmytesseract @acidcasualties @coldnique @fictive-sl0th @gigglingtiggerv2 @gruftiela @holymultiplefandomsbatman @xorpsbane

#loki s2 #loki #loki season 2 #episode reviews

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kaythefloppa · 7 months

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New S7 WK Eps - [Spoiler Free] Review + Predictions/Thoughts:

New Wild Kratts Season 7 episodes are on the premises after a 4-month hiatus. The episodes were found on https://metadatabank.pbs.org by a few Twitter users, with premises to boot.

Two of the episodes were uploaded on the TVO Kids' YouTube Channel. For anyone who doesn't know, full episodes of PBS Kids shows are uploaded on that channel and are only accessible directly to Canadian viewers. The only way U.S. viewers can access them is through a VPN.

To prevent heavy spoilers, especially for those who don't have a VPN/want to wait until the episodes come out in America, I won't provide any links. I have watched the first two episodes of the new batch, and I will be doing a [spoiler-free] review of them below the cut, again, because I know that not everyone is going to/is able to immediately hop onto a VPN and watch the eps months before they air on television. The other 2 episodes are yet to be televised or uploaded, so anything I say about them will be pure speculation until the U.S. airdate.

This is not a 100% spoiler-free thread. If you have seen the episodes on the VPN and intend on reblogging with spoilers, use the spoiler tag/cut appropriately; Spoilery comments in the thread are prohibited overall because there's no way to loop around that, so bear in mind:

Backpack the Camel:

The gang travels to the Gobi Desert to discover the last remaining wild camels in the world. They experience the harshness of the desert landscape and are rescued from it only by the wild Bactrian camels and their amazing survival skills.

No Name Dream:

Martin has a dream that he's forgotten to name some baby animals and awakens in a sweat. Aviva tries to reassure him that he named them all, but Koki, after checking the data base, confirms that Martin's right! The Wild Kratts' mission is to go back and name all the ,unnamed, and along the way, learn more about their creaturenality and share some wow facts about their animal friends!

Fish Out of Water:

After a Creature Power Disc mishap, the bros become marooned in the world of a mudskipper, a fish that can walk on land. They must find their discs within a foreign world of intense competition, with unexpected dangers at every turn

Our Blue and Green World: Parts 1 & 2:

While doing their annual Laundry Day, the Kratt Brothers disagree on what's better; blue oceans or green forests. Can the gang get Martin and Chris back in synch in time to save Planet Earth from Zach and Paisley's villainous plans?

Again, no confirmed airdates, so we know what we're in for, but we'll just have to wait. But I'll post my disjointed thoughts and predictions on each episode in this big-ass compiled post bc I'm too lazy for separate posts:

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Backpack the Camel - REVIEW

How the fuck did it take us 12.5 years to get a camel episode? There was literally a live-action opener featuring camels and llamas which segwayed into a fucking Koala episode? I know it doesn't really matter, but it's so jarring

The episode's humor is..... not that good. It feels like they were trying too hard to make it "meme" material with a recurring facial gag but it gets old really quickly. Luckily it's not present throughout the episode, and compared to previous scenes in the show (ex. that awful dabbing and floss scene from the ant episode), it's pretty tame.

The camels in this episode are beautifully animated. I swear to god, you could clearly tell that they wanted the camels to look as detailed as possible but still retaining that WK-style look.

The Camel Power Suit, I thought it was going to be awful and at first I hated, but it actually turned out to be pretty good. It gets right what a the more recent quadrupedal power suits get wrong. Though I’m fairly certain that this is going to be an unpopular opinion once the episode comes out.

Wild Kratts has a pretty good track record for debunking animal myths so if you're frustrated with how the mainstream media misrepresents camels or how many myths and misconceptions about them are spread, then this episode is definitely for you.

Ranking: 7/10

No Name Dream - REVIEW

We started off the season with Chris angst and now we’ve got Martin angst. I can’t comment too much on the dream sequence but… let’s just say that the animators were having a lot of fun with it. It’s giving Zooboomafoo vibes if anything.

I feel like MK IRL realized that there were some unnamed baby animals, and decided to write this episode as a meta ref to that. Overall, it feels like the most self-insert-y episode of the show to date (even moreso than Liturgusa Krattorum)

This episode highlights what Wild Kratts does better than most shows nowadays. It knows how to do fanservice correctly. Mainly in the form of callbacks to inventions/locations, power suits, and animals that we haven’t seen in years. The reason they do this correctly is because they don’t do it for the sake of it, there’s a very intriguing plot around it that gives it a point/purpose and it overall makes sense. The crew goes around naming unnamed baby animals from past adventures. That’s something I have wanted to see in years (I even made up my own fan-names for some baby animals that didn’t get a name, though one of them is rendered non-canon in the ep.)

In fact, the modern seasons of the show do this pretty damn well, what with the return of Aviva’s rollerblades in the S6 finale, the tellurium crystal cameo in the raven episode, giving Paisley Paver a solo role in this season, and this episode, where we get a lot of cool callbacks to the earlier seasons when the crew travels around the world to name the unnamed. I think the reason they do this is because they know that after 10 years, people are going to get nostalgic - That and because PBS Kids’ horrible scheduling that forces viewers at home to wait months or even years for new episodes to come out, makes the show runners try and work their way around it through the episode’s quality, so that if it’s great, or hell, even if it’s good, that would compensate for the episode’s wait. It’s one of the many things that gives me hope for Season 7.

I kid you not, there is one scene in this episode that made me scream at my iPad when I first watched it. It’s clearly fanservice, but in the best degree. I’m not going to give ANY hints because it’s too spoilery, but let’s just say, as someone who is a longtime viewer of the show since S1, and has been begging for years for untapped stuff in the earlier episodes to make a comeback, this certain scene in this episode felt like an extremely detailed love-letter to my childhood, if not a very clever witty response to my brainrotting on the blog. This scene is kinda why I’m very adamant about the “no spoilers” thing; The majority of the fandom needs to see this scene televised.

The baby animal’s names vary. Some are cringe, (I guess,) some are okay, and then some are actually alright. Also, cute baby animals!!!!!

Ranking: 8/10

Fish Out of Water - Predictions/Thoughts:

Again, almost 13 years to give us a mudskipper episode? If it wasn’t for that one episode of Octonaughts, I wouldn’t have even known what a mudskipper was if you showed it to me. Side-note, mudskippers are cool.

Ok but a Creature Power Disc mishap? Even after getting disc-holders, these mf still loose these damn discs 😭

Going back to the “WK magazines show Creature Powers of future episodes,” there was a page of a mudskipper shown in a magazine from 2019 that I cannot for the life of me find.

Mudskippers live in Borneo. I hope this implies that we’ll see more animals/Creature Powers of that location since we haven’t gotten it since S4 (more than 5 years ago).

Here’s a Wow Fact about Mudskippers: Their eyes bulge out of their heads unlike other fish and can move independently from each other (not unlike chameleons). They can also live on land apparently and, well… they skip pretty well. I’m expecting the name of a mudskipper to be something like “Skippy” or “Skipper” or something along those lines.

Oh, these motherfuckers can also CLIMB.

Our Blue and Green Earth - Predictions/Thoughts:

This episode was hyped during the premiere marathon week of S7, where Martin originally called the special “Blue and Green: The Living Earth” and listed the animals we’d be seeing in the new special.

Honestly, am I the only one who’s kinda bummed that this is the 8th/9th episode of the season? I mean, didn’t the article that first disclosed this special say that S7 would be breaking the 200 episode milestone? I feel like a huge one-hour special with an aesthetic title like that would be a good contender for Episode 200. Unless this was 200th episode of the show to be produced, but the network fucked up and broadcasted this special early and had another one in its place… it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done that though.

I’ve gone on about a Paisley/Donita team up, but Zach and Paisley also fit too. Both have a grey aesthetic, have alliterative names, are executive CEOs who are both implied to get away from the law via nepotism/capitalism. And both villains have engaged in logging and habitat destruction. Whilst Donita and Paisley have an “opposites attract” thing going on with them when you put them together (which is one of the million reasons why I hardcore ship them), Zach and Paisley are like two peas in a pod.

I guess this is another “disagree” episode, like in Fireflies, Bass Class, or Wolf Hawks. Don’t know how they can drag it out for 40 minutes but let’s see how they do it.

I think they may be planning this as an Earth Day special. Blue and Green, whilst associated with the Kratt Bros, are also associated with the Planet Earth, so it makes sense to air this on Earth Day. Additionally, the 100th episode, Animals Who Live to Be 100 Years Old, had aired as an Earth Day special, as part of a week-long Earth Day marathon of S4 episodes (including Spirit Bear, Paisley’s debut episode). So I think it would be thematically appropriate to air this episode on Earth Day.

I think it’d be like, really funny if the double-episode had the “blue” as one part, written by Martin, and the “green” as another part, written by Chris.

I predict that the climax of the episode will involve the brothers having to defend the opposite climate of their preference. Like, Chris using Blue Whale Powers to defend the ocean animals from the Zachbots, and Martin using Indri Powers to rescue the forests from the Pavers. This is what brings them back in synch after realizing that blue and green are equally important and can rightfully co-exist… just like them (awww).

If there is not a Blue Whale Suit, I might actually cry.

Let’s hope that these episodes air on TV at the end of the year because this hiatus is killing me.

#wild kratts #pbs kids #kratt brothers #martin kratt #chris kratt #2d kratt brothers #2d martin kratt #2d Chris kratt #wild kratts season 7 #wk season 7 #Wild kratts new episodes #Youtube #vpn #spoiler free review #Seeing 2 of these 4 (5?) episodes is kind of further cementing my opinion that S7 is slowly living up to its hype #Despite the hiatus and horrible distribution #Backpack the Camel and No Name Dream are supposed to come out in 2023 since the video titles said that #So we can expect them by the end of the year #Fish Out of Water idk but maybe it’s batched with the other 2 eps #I’m literally turning 18 in half a year and currently obsessing over a children’s show that I’ve been following since I was 5 what is my li #pbs kids go #Between S7 of WK and S4 of Odd Squad PBS Kids really seems to be writing love-letters to my childhood atp

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evilphrog · 8 months

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Watching Wheel of Time without reading the books: Season 2, episode 2

I am going to have to post this as half a review again. I had a lot of feelings, and I am never going to get around to watching the rest of the episodes if I don't just post what I have. I still haven't covered the Moiraine or Perrin plotlines, but believe me when I say I adore them also. You can read about the rest of them below.

We finally get to see what Rand has been up to all this time: having nightmares about hurting everyone he loves, and whoring himself out for room and board. It’s like he got separated from the group and immediately thought “What would Mat do in this situation?” He is also working as an orderly in a mental hospital. Ah yes, I see. He needs to prove the intrusive thoughts wrong, by being extra caring and kind. Someone should let him know that command hallucinations are not a predictor of violence on their own, and one of the best protective factors is having a robust support network that keeps you grounded in reality. In other words, he should be doing the opposite of what he has done. But that’s Rand. His head has never contained any thoughts except “Gee I sure love my friends and family” so it was the perfect place for Nancy Reagan to move right in. Just a big house with five bedrooms, cathedral ceilings, and only two cardboard boxes stuffed in one corner of the garage. The first was labeled “willingness to do anything for my loved ones” and the other was labeled “nuance.” The second box was empty. This will not go well for him.

He’s been caring for a man who survived the Aiel wars, and got some serious PTSD from it. He’s a sword master, and has been teaching Rand some proper forms. Too bad some absolute caricature of a douchebag working at the hospital likes to pick on him for no reason. Rand responds in the way every mental health worker witnessing an abusive staff member dreams of. He calms the patient, finishes out his shift, then follows him home and beats the shit out of him. But whoops, he underestimated his Manneler strength and maybe killed the guy instead. It’s hard to know for sure, since Rand has some major hallucinations going on most of the time. I feel for him here. In Rand’s mind, he was standing up to a bully as his equal. But Rand has no equals. He is quickly realizing that no fight involving him will ever be fair.

Douchebag fails to show up for work, so Rand gets promoted to the garden, where all the famous patients hang out. And his first patient of the day is Logain, the false dragon. Dun dun DUN!

Meanwhile, at the White Tower, Nynaeve is busy being wooed by an increasingly desperate JK Rowling. Unfortunately, her main selling points are gender supremacy and pre-crime. The fascism isn’t even thinly veiled, she just comes out and says it. Nynaeve isn’t interested. JK needs to change her sales pitch. To cope with the rejection, she goes and torments her pet Mat for a bit. He tolerates it, and as soon as she is gone, continues his Shawshank Redemption plan. He eventually succeeds in tunneling through his wall, only to discover another cell. At least this one comes with company in the form of Min, the psychic who bailed on the final battle. Once in the presence of another human, Mat’s charm immediately returns. Thank the Light. I like New Mat after all. He wants to know how Min ended up in Aes Sedai Jail (because she’s a girl), but Min has no clear answers for him. She does have wine, though, so now he has a drinking buddy. He offers to also be an orgasm buddy, but she has a vision of him stabbing Rand with the cursed dagger, which is a major lady boner killer. The rags and prison smell are probably also a factor.

A new girl has moved in to Novice school. Obnoxiously, with all her furniture blocking the hall. Egwene goes up to yell at her, and I get to meet Elayne, the girl everyone has been screaming about since the promo photos dropped. First impressions of Elayne: I want to hate her, but I just can’t. She is naive, but earnest. She’s very excited to be “just like everyone else” but can’t help mentioning that she’s the princess three times per conversation. I have to hand it to the actor. This character could very easily be played as condescending and out of touch. But instead, her sincerity bursts out of her with such force that I can’t help but like her. She latches onto Egwene like a lovestruck koala and never lets go. She propositions her in the first conversation, and says she hopes they become soulmates. Egwene is redheaded channeler catnip.

JK’s new sales pitch is apparently accidentally-on-purpose getting caught caring for her son, who is dying of old age. Or maybe it was a genuine accident. It is hard to tell with her. Nynaeve shows concern in the only way she can, by helpfully pointing out a mistake JK made, and telling her how to fix it. That earns her a slap in the face, which was pretty much what she expected, but JK does take her advice.

Meanwhile, Egwene figures out that Elayne is making up excuses to spend time with her. Good. She really needed this, because she has finally fallen into Gifted Kid burnout. She cries to Elayne about how Nynaeve gets all the praise without even trying, and meanwhile, she struggles to even get noticed. Elayne tells her jealousy isn’t a good look on her, in a voice that strongly implies she thinks nearly anything at all would be a good look on Egwene. I told Husband that Elayne is going to leave her morning whippings and run straight to Egwene to rub soothing lotion all over her. He said that’s actually canon.

Sadly, Nynaeve overheard this conversation. The thing that upset her wasn’t any kind of insult or character assassination. She is hurt that Egwene feels abandoned. She pretty clearly only joined Novice school so she could watch over Egwene and protect her. She is being harangued every day by the people she hates most, and now she’s being accused of ENJOYING it? Oh no! I hate miscommunication as a plot device, but I like this show’s spin on it. Another show might have Nynaeve walk away with the impression that Egwene has upgraded her best friend to the princess of the kingdom, and no longer needs the peasant from the two rivers. That was what I was worried would happen. But once again, the soul of the show is the way these five all love each other so much and know each other so well. I now have more hope that Mat isn’t as fooled by JK’s cursed dagger behavior as he is pretending.

JK interrupts Nynaeve’s angst to come extremely close to apologizing, and even closer to saying thank you. But her evil plan to force Nynaeve into an acceptance speedrun has already started, so there’s no turning back now. Nynaeve must walk through the arches and face her biggest fears, in order to become a full Jedi master Aes Sedai. Dun dun DUN!

Other episode reviews

#wot on prime #wot prime spoilers #wheel of time #episode review #nonreader #wot season 2 #evilphrog reviews

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o-uncle-newt · 10 months

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OK, below the fold another slightly more spoilery but not ACTUALLY FACTUALLY spoilery (I carefully removed all details) thing from E1-2 of Good Omens 2, specifically related to John Finnemore

So JF’s minisode is in Episode 2 and as I mentioned in the other post it is easily the best thing in those two episodes. Not necessarily a reflection on the rest of the scenes, because they’re clearly setup and the minisode is a complete story, but it’s also just very very good.

The highest compliment I can give it is that it felt like an episode of Double Acts, just visual and with too many people strictly speaking for a Double Act (but, you know, the right number for the thing it is). It definitely really GETS the Crowley/Aziraphale dynamic, it has a very funny running callback to the Flood scene from S1E3 that tickled me a lot, all the characters are used very well, it has some fun with the Davison-Tennant stunt casting, but most of all, and the reason for the Double Acts comparison, it has that classic JF “you don’t even know he’s seeding clues to the dramatic denouement” thing that he does so well in JFDA. That moment when it all comes together is kind of delicious and very characteristic of his work. Neil called it “wise” and theologically speaking… well I never really went to JF for his take on religion and I don’t think much of his version of the Biblical story in question is going to particularly surprise anyone, exactly, but that’s not remotely the point. Where he really shines in the minisode is in how he uses that to expand on the dynamics of a) the characters in their roles in angelic/demonic society and b) the characters as, well, characters, particularly Aziraphale and Crowley. He does it so cleverly and so beautifully and I adored it. I felt like it filled in super valuable missing gaps, but even more so made them just jump right out of the screen. (It is also, genuinely, super funny. But that’s a given.)

Basically, be excited for this!

Also when I was stuck in traffic in my Uber home last night I fancasted the minisode with JFSP castmembers but as that will give away minor plot points and I can only use one cut per post that will have to wait.

#john finnemore #good omens season 2 #good omens 2 #go2 #go2 spoilers #good omens spoilers #gos2spoilers #gos2 spoilers #i mean I guess they’re spoilers in that if you want to know NOTHING about the episodes you shouldn’t read this #but really it’s more of a spoiler-free review I’d say?

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orionsangel86 · 9 months

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Good Omens S2 Episode Review - 201 The Arrival

You know how here on tumblr we often voice our grievances about modern film and television? Everything is too dull and washed out, too dark and grimy, too muffled to the point we can barely hear, and the writing seems to be done in such a way that you can almost feel the contempt oozing off of the writers for their own fanbases?

Maybe Neil Gaiman came across those posts and had a good chuckle, before nodding in agreement and taking notes, because at least so far in episode 1, GOS2 makes none of these vital mistakes! I can already tell I'm going to fall headfirst into obsession over this series again, and I've only watched one episode!

Spoilers for episode 1 only under the cut. Safe for anyone who hasnt watched any further (because I haven't either at this point!)

Gods its gorgeous isnt it? To the extent that I think gifmakers wont have to spend hours and hours doing colour corrections for once! The opening scene blew me away. I wonder if we'll ever find out who Crowley was before he fell? Seeing as he was clearly a high ranking angel. This is where the Crowley-was-Raphael truthers are throwing a party lol.

From that first scene its clear they are going heavy handed on the AziraCrow romance. Zira's little double take when he thinks Crowley is calling him gorgeous before realising he was talking about the nebula was already less subtle than anything they gave us in the entirety of season 1. So we are off to a good start!

"How much trouble can I get into just for asking a few questions?" Oh Crowley, my poor naive little angel! :'(

It's interesting how already there seems to be a general mockery of creationism and creationists (which I love btw) because of how idiotic these beliefs are. Crowley is asking all the right questions of course. Creating the universe just to center everything around a little planet called Earth just seems a bit, well, silly doesn't it!

The title sequence is an absolute ball and I consider it sacrilegious to skip it!

This episode sets up an interesting new dynamic for Aziraphale and Crowley that raises questions. If we consider where things were left off at the end of season 1, you would think they would be on very good terms, happily enjoying their retirement together (whether as friends or something else) but that doesn't appear to be the case. It was already something I picked up in the promo scenes, but seeing the full episode now it really isn't subtle that something has gone sort of wrong or at least somewhat disjointed for them. There is a tension between them which is completely new.

"There's only three reasons why you ever call me.

You're bored.

You have to tell someone about something clever you did before you pop.

Somethings wrong."

Do I detect a hint of bitterness there Crowley?

That plus the clear jealousy towards Aziraphale's "naked man friend" and the anger with which he responds "SO DID I!" indicates that Crowley is very much not happy with the current state of their relationship. Why would Crowley not be happy with their relationship when he should have everything he wants? Freedom from Hell, relative safety in retirement... okay so he's living in his car which isn't ideal (but something tells me that's more because he's waiting for Aziraphale to invite him to live at the bookshop than that he couldn't find another apartment if he wanted to). What else could Crowley possibly want thats causing this tension? Hmmmm.

I love how with Crowley, there is at least consistency in his motivations to do anything. In that if it's something that he doesn't want to do, but Aziraphale is in danger if he doesn't do it, he'll leap head first into the fire just to protect Aziraphale. Beelzebub's threat about "extreme sanctions" is clearly a horrible thought, and what would Crowley even be if Aziraphale was erased from existence? It raises the stakes beyond the threats of the first season. Destruction is bad enough, but at least you'll have your memories of your friend/6000 year old life partner, but to be erased from the book of life completely? Ooof that's worse. Far FAR worse. Poor Crowley.

So he returns. Of course. The catty bitchiness between them when Crowley returns though and has to grovel with that silly little dance (and I do hope I see at least a dozen gifsets of that silly little dance when I eventually remove my filters!). OMG Aziraphale you are such a bitchy gay I love you! But does Crowley tell him about the threat? No of course he doesn't. Because draaamaaaaa babes!

I have to scream about Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy being the first Queen song to play. You gotta hand it to Neil, he clearly knows his fanbase well!

Moving on to Maggie and Nina, I find their dynamic lovely and awkward, though I do think the narrative parallels are more heavy handed than in a season 8 monster of the week Supernatural episode (which is an impressive feat of brick-wall-to-the-face obviousness believe me). Still, I love narrative parallels as a storytelling device, so I am of course gonna eat all this up and gorge on "the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one" tropeyness to my hearts content.

Clearly Maggie is the Aziraphale and Nina is the Crowley (the twist being that Maggie fell first, whereas we all know Crowley has been holding a flame for Aziraphale since the Garden - then again, that opening scene puts Aziraphale's feelings in a new light!) so I am looking forward to seeing how else their budding relationship compares in future episodes!

Re the central mystery around Gabriel, I've gotta hand it to John Hamm, he's hilarious. I love him. I have absolutely no idea where this is going after only 1 episode, other than to giggle at the fact that if all of Soho didn't already assume Aziraphale was "as gay as a treeful of monkeys on nitrous oxide" then they certainly do now!

"You're funny. I love you." Amazing. No notes. Keep making Aziraphale squirm lol. Though doesn't it also pose an interesting question? Gabriel is still an angel right? Beings of love. They are supposed to feel love and I think part of the point of the beurocracy of Heaven is that the angels have forgotten their original purpose - to love others. Right? Maybe I'm just making that up, but I found it interesting that as soon as Gabriel found himself enjoying Aziraphale's company, he was so comfortable just expressing his feelings like that.

(side note that I love how in GO, they always give a fairly accurate representation of the streets of Soho, too many films and TV shows filmed in London underestimate just how bloody crowded the city is. You can't move without bumping into someone in the West End at any point and GO has gone all out on filling their film studio with extras which is a nice touch.)

So whats in the box? What's in the matchbox? I'm calling it now there is a connection. I also don't think either are actually "empty". Gabriel said his arms were heavy from carrying the box around, but if it was empty then it wouldn't have hurt his arms to carry it. A trick of some kind perhaps? Something invisible perhaps?

The Book of Job quote on the matchbox "Out of his mouth go burning lamps and sparks of fire leap out" Probably important. Isn't one of the episodes coming up about Job? Still, I am in no way a bible scholar I haven't even read the thing, so I'm not gonna attempt to analyse all this and I am sure some other very intelligent person on Tumblr has already done so!

It was a really good really enjoyable episode with some laugh out loud moments. I like the mystery, and all the new characters are interesting. So far nothing has bored me and I really am gagging to watch the next episode ASAP. Its wonderful having Aziraphale and Crowley back on the screen again, like coming home to see some old friends, but this time for some reason its all a bit awkward and the tensions a bit off and so I am sitting here wondering if maybe they got really drunk one night and almost fucked but then didn't go through with it and refuse to discuss it so now i'm going to have to subtly get them to talk about their relationship drama. Lmao.

I'm a slut for other peoples relationship drama though, and Neil Gaiman just handed it to me on a platter. ;-)

#good omens #good omens season 2 #GOS2 Ep 1 #Good Omens: The Arrival #good omens s2 ep 1 spoilers #good omens s2 spoilers #good omens episode review #my episode review #good omens meta

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