#what people don't realize about this show no one watched is that they are endgame

[asmeninas]

Well, I like the way it ended. The Pilgrim was a kid.

Halt and Catch Fire - 4x08 - Goodwill

#halt and catch fire #hacfedit #donna emerson #cameron howe #what people don't realize about this show no one watched is that they are endgame #they sat down to write their series finale and said what if it were pretty much entirely centered on donna and cameron #and ended with a scene framed romantically #and just did it #no one understood her weirdo game #she made it for people like her #but there aren't many people like her anymore! #lady bird priest they didn't understand it #it is not mad men it has nothing to do with mad men!!!!!!!!!! #cl

[buddiebeginz]

These are the kinds of comments I've been seeing all over social media lately. These ones in particular are on the ABC YT. If you love Buddie you need to get out there and start posting about it. This season is still being written and they will take audience reaction into consideration at least to some extent with storylines this risky and a move to a new network.

Buck's bi storyline all on it's own is important I'm thankful the show is doing it and no Buddie doesn't have to happen for this storyline to happen. But as I said in a previous post 1. Buddie happening will be just as important for queer rep as Buck 2. Buck as a character deserves an epic love story. I don't get people who argue against this. Look at characters like Athena and Bobby and Chim and Maddie they all found their soulmates and got years of the show to build their romance. That is what Buck deserves.

Do NOT tell me you care about Buck if after only a few episodes of him even knowing Tommy you're like f*ck Buddie Tommy is endgame. Have you even been watching the show? Buck and Eddie have literally put their lives on the line for each other multiple times. Have been there for one another at their best and worst moments.

After all that Buck has gone through especially with relationships and after all his parents have put him through I want to see him realize he has real love with Eddie right in front him. I want to see him realize he has his own little family right there with Eddie and Chris. Realize that for all the years he spent trying to be enough for his parents he's always been enough to Eddie and Chris. I want to see him get married at some point and see like a montage of his and Eddie's moments all through the show. I see the importance of Tommy in Buck's bi journey right now but he's not Buck's person. I don't get how people aren't seeing that.

#911 abc #911 spoilers #buddie #911! #buddie s7 #b*ck t*mmy for bl

[blazinghotfoggynights]

I am so happy for episode 7x4. Why? It has already led to lines of communication about romantic and queer journeys that are not typical.

I see Team!Tuck and Team!Buddie have some members that are not happy with the other and think the other team is delusional or doesn't make sense. Only the members of that show's crew know what is going to happen. For all we know, Buck could meet a third party, fall in love, leave the 118, and go off to happily ever after.

(I so don't want that. But what can a girl do?)

I want to say that as someone who probably has just a teeny bit more of life experience than many people on here and other social media, no I am not sharing my age, I have seen, and experienced, a lot. Remember I mentioned lines of communication opening? They are open now because people are inspired and feel empowered to share their thoughts and experiences.

To Team!Tuck, yes, Team!Buddie is still quite a possibility. How? Did you know you can be so in love with someone you have no idea you are in love with them? Sounds crazy, right? But it can happen. It took many years for me to see that I was head over heels for my best friend. I never considered it. I never looked at him that way. We were just really close and besties.

It took someone asking me if I were stuck on a deserted island and could only have one person there with me, who I would choose. I said his name instead of my then boyfriend's name. I didn’t even think about it. It was reflexive.

The person was staring at me smiling and watching me as I realized what I’d said and then a montage of our friendship played in my mind.

“Oh my god.” That was me.

“Finally figured it out?” That was the other person.

When I thought about it, I compared men to him all the time. The qualities I was most attracted to in my partners up to that point were qualities they shared with him. But it was at that moment, many years into our friendship, that I realized that had been happening.

This leads me to Team!Buddie. Team!Tuck is valid and could very well be endgame. If the writers make Eddie a completely hetero man with no flexibility, Buddie will not happen. However, they have offered a character who is literally an amalgamation of Buck and Eddie as a possible love interest. It is funny to me, because when I look at the Tommy character I see the lovechild of Eddie Diaz and Evan Buckley. Buck picked a man who mirrors him physically but shares a lot with Eddie including military background, quick wit, snarkiness, the willingness to say screw the rules when needed, hobbies, etc.

If Buck knows with no uncertainty that Eddie is not, and will never be, an option, wouldn’t it make sense that a man who is so much like Eddie would catch Buck’s eye?

I will also say that it is not impossible for someone who truly believes they are 100% heterosexual their entire lives to realize one day that may not be the case. How do they realize it? They look at someone of the same sex and have an epiphany.

As a young one who was new to this world, I fell for the rhetoric that sexuality is static and does not change. You were either straight or gay. There was nothing else.

This older, wiser version of me knows the only things you can count on in life are change, surprise, and unpredictability. She is also grateful for those who worked hard to explain that sexuality is a spectrum and give those who never quite found a space a label that finally fit.

She is extremely grateful for the brave people who who have the courage to live out loud and raise their voices in pride so others know maybe one day they can do the same.

I will always have my fingers crossed for Buddie endgame. I’m talking big wedding, tears being shed, vows so sweet everyone requires insulin. You get the picture.

However, I also want to see the two characters who never have happiness or a partner who truly supports them find what Hen/Karen and Athena/Bobby have. If that is with other people, so be it.

One more time, I am going to say major respect for ABC and the show writers for flipping off that network that can go to hell and giving this arc life and to Oliver and Lou for doing what is bound to piss off a lot of people who won't be shy about vocalizing their narrowmindedness.

#911 abc #911 on abc #9 1 1 buddie #buddie #buddie 911 #buck x eddie #eddie x buck #eddie diaz x evan buckley #evan buckley x eddie diaz #evan buckley #eddie diaz #buck/tommy #tommy/buck #911 tuck #oliver stark #ryan guzman

[kimkhimhant]

ok i have a kimchay ask and it’s kinda two fold

when you first watched kp did you expect kimchay to be together at the end, or had you already accepted they werent gonna be endgame? and then also, what’s your biggest headcanon/favorite idea about what happens to kimchay post canon? when it ended and they werent together, did you have a first thought of like “i’d really like them to meet like this” or “i think they’d meet like this” or even “they’re never gonna be together”?

best wishes for getting back into fic writing mode!!!! 💝

i definitely did not expect them to be the couple with an open/unhappy ending :') the distress i experienced – little kim-hyperfixated me... i was a wreck. i've been a kim apologist from day one, so i was also really distressed over the reactions from so many people in the fandom lmao (i still am.. oops) but anyway. my immediate reaction was like.. "that's it? kim sent the song and chay cried and we don't get to see what happens next?" i am a firm believer of that moment being the turning point for them to slowly make their way back to each other.

i've written a few kimchay reconciliations by now, and i think my biggest headcanon is pretty consistent: that they come back together, but its different and better and also harder this time, because it's more genuine but also comes with all their baggage – Chay has anger and trauma in the aftermath of everything that's happened to him, and Kim doesn't have the Wik persona to hide behind, so all of his traumas and secrets are thrown into the mix.

honestly, when the show first ended, i was a little upset, but after thinking about it more i realized that something like this was essential in their relationship, in order for them to progress to a healthy place. Chay's idolization of Kim/Wik as an ideal had to be broken – Wik was a dream, on a pedestal in Chay's mind, and clearly him ghosting Chay repeatedly wasn't enough to disrupt that, but after everything that happens, Chay is forced to adjust his perception of Kim, and see him more as a person, with faults and flaws and fears and all. it's essential for a multitude of reasons – for Kim and for himself – because it balances out their power dynamics. Kim isn't an idol whose value is above Chay anymore – Chay has just as much worth – and also Kim isn't an emotionless god anymore – he's just as human and imperfect as Chay.

meanwhile, Kim is forced to confront his own mistakes and aversion to honesty and intimacy. he's forced to put in work to dismantle his own emotional walls and acknowledge his feelings and desires, because he can't just be Wik now, and because Chay isn't so naively enchanted by him. he has to be real and honest and let Chay in in order to keep him.

So i think, they'll absolutely end up together, in the end, no matter when it happens, and i think it'll be better than it was <3

thank you so much for this ask! i maybe got a little carried away on that last bit but i have a lot of feelings about it lol

#benji talks #asks #kimchay #kim theerapanyakul #porchay kittisawasd

[thelaurenshippen]

Hi there! I started relistening to the bright sessions (as one does) and had a random question come up. When did you know that Mark/Sam wasn't going to be endgame (romantically)? I know in s4 they both fall apart separately and together, but even in Safehouse pt 2 (my absolute beloved) they argue about their coping mechanisms. Did you know then that they weren't going to end up together? How did you come to that conclusion?

hey!! this is a great question - I definitely did start the show thinking they were endgame and that's mostly what I was thinking at the time of safehouse too, despite their issues. I think it was really in writing Season 4 actually, when I realized that I was no longer telling a story about two people in love working through their issues, but was instead telling a story about two people who were in love but realized they shouldn't be together in that way. I started to feel those tension points in Season 3 (I would say the safehouse episodes were a true attempt for them to learn to work through their issues), but it wasn't until planning S4 that I really made the decision.

there are a lot of things that led to this that I'll try to articulate, because the honest, simplest answer as to why the plans changed was "because it felt like they should". but if I were think back and pinpoint a few reasons for that...

there was never supposed to be a love triangle. Mark was always bisexual but he and Damien were never supposed to develop feelings for one another. but the first time we got Andrew and Charlie into a room and read through their first episode together it was like "oh, OH-kay" (which, sidebar: clearly I was writing something between them subtextually because it wasn't like Andrew and Charlie were strangers to each other - I'd watched them act ALL sorts of scenes together in acting class but the romantic chemistry popped OUT with Mark/Damien. pretty much from the second motel episode on, I was writing leaning into that dynamic). that threw a lot of spanners into the works because while I never had plans to put Mark and Damien together, I hadn't anticipated Mark grappling with feelings for someone else.

similarly, I'd underestimated just how flawed Sam was. Sam is not a bad person, but she sometimes doesn't really know how to be a person who cares about other people. when you add that to the dynamics of Damien and Joan kind of, like, hovering over Mark in various unproductive ways (for Damien, it's destructive and invasive; for Joan, she's just a too-involved older sister sometimes), Sam becomes another person who is kind of, like...controlling Mark, or trying to, because she loves him and doesn't know how to (I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm just regurgitating actual lines I wrote lol). this is not to say that her flaws make her unable to be in a relationship (Mark is also deeply flawed!) but just that their flaws clashed against each other in ways I hadn't planned.

finally: Joan and found family. in my mind, there was something grand and romantic about Sam meeting Dr. Bright so that she could be led to Mark - like they were somehow always fated to meet. in actuality, it's not that at all - instead, the bond that Sam and Joan have is just as important as the one she has with Mark, albeit different. I don't believe in soulmates personally, but I've always liked the idea that you have people out there. soulmates in a more general sense - people you click with, have a connection with. it can be romantic, familial, friendship, work or creative partnerships, whatever. I think the Bryant siblings and Sam have that. I think Sam and Mark are meant for each other but in a non-exclusive way and in a...maybe not non-romantic way, but a way that doesn't have romance at the forefront. they love each other deeply and they fit, but a romantic partnership might not be the best way forward for them. and Joan and Sam are the whole heart of the show to me in some senses. as I was writing the finale, I very intentionally ended with the two of them - both because the final appearance of every character is in order of when they first appeared, but in reverse and also because the show starts with both of them in dark, destructive places and while there's broken trust between them throughout, they ultimately help each other get better. I thought Sam's story was about finding love and it was, but that love looked differently than I had planned.

okay, god, this has gotten waaaaaay too long and rambly. I hope this answers your question? one of my favorite things/the thing I miss most about making a show like TBS is being able to shift things based on chemistry/what the actors bring/etc. so often now, I'm writing entire seasons of things and then handing them off to production, in which anything can happen! the flexibility of recording episode by episode in TBS is something I took full advantage of.

thanks for listening and relistening!!

#the bright sessions #sam/mark #also in case anyone is curious as to why I DON'T do that anymore #don't write/record that way #the answer is money it's always money #we could do that in TBS because for the first two seasons no one was getting paid #and then from there ppl were getting paid but badly #and I was doing everything for free #so we didn't need efficiency of budget #whereas now I'm able to record a few episodes in a day #which is mUCH more budget efficient #ANYWAY #answering this question before I've finished my coffee on a monday morning was certainly a choice #I'm sorry if it is INCOHERENT #answered

[emblazons]

I'm gonna keep it 300: Once I realized that byler v mlvn (at least in canon) was never a competition of "ships" or even heteronormativity versus queer rep but a conversation about thematic points being made by the duffers, I ceased feeling any real doubt about the outcome of this segment of the intertwined character narratives.

Why? Because The Duffers (while notoriously mum about their plotlines and twists) are vocal as hell about what they value & what "lessons" they're trying to drive home.

With The Duffers (unlike a lot of TV writers today) its "find the thematic line and you find the endgame plot." That's literally it. And tbh, even if I was someone who couldn't stand byler for whatever reason, from a narrative theme perspective, its pretty clear that

"15 year old boy who both longs for and fears the consequences of nonconformity finds the bravery to get out of a relationship that fuels those insecurities while leaning into his relationship with his fellow-nonconforming best friend"

tracks more with The Duffers value system than

"boy and his superhero love interest spend their 5th consecutive season barely seeing eye to eye on interests and problem-solving while relying on other people who know them better than they know each other to fix their relationship before dramatically separating and coming back in a melodramatic flourish."

Like. I don't even need to do more mental work than that to understand whats happening with this part of the story, because after 7 entire years of watching the rest of the show, its clear they'e written Mike and El into the same corner that's broken up every other dysfunctional relationship in Stranger Things, from Stncy to Joyce and Bob: a lack of common interest and a lack of common goals.

When you look at that, and combine it w/ any knowledge of the—

"What's wrong with playing DnD as an adult" "we are nerds and children at heart" "we hated HS & did other people's assignments to stay relevant" "one of us married a fellow horror fan who shares our interests (Ross) and the other has decided not to officially partner (Matt)"

—Duffer Brothers? lmao.

The only snag I ever hit trying to understand that was the S3 tone shift...and even they admit that was their narrative "play" season, which (however you feel about that as a writing decision) says every single thing about what's gonna happen when things get "more serious" (while moving back to S1 energy) in S5. 🤷🏽‍♀️

#byler #anti mlvn #I am a generalist not a specifist when it comes to analysis and it's saved me a lot of detail-oriented heartache here lmao #like at this point I don't feel doubt or even a desire to 'analyze' byler sans showing how the little pieces connect to the main theme #its become so straightforward in my head I don't know how else it might be otherwise resolved LMAO #my st commentary #stranger things

[tawaifeddiediaz]

i don't really go here but y'all acting really excited when they're doing this storyline not with your ship but the dude buck and another man. Like when I saw the stuff I was like oh wow they went their with the two firefighters the show has been building for what 7 years now, instead it's just one of those firefighters so IDK I'd be disappointed if I was y'all not celebrating it. But happy that at least one of them is gonna be into men.

buck’s queer realization is for buck and buck’s character arc, not a flimsy plot device towards buddie. i’m actually really glad that they’re giving buck the individual attention right now, and then my hope is that they’ll give eddie’s his when it’s due.

and you know that people can ship multiple ships right? like yes my endgame ship is always going to be buddie but for the time being i’m enjoying buck and tommy - not least because tommy is the most interesting love interest buck’s had but because he’s a safe place for him to land in this realization of what it means to be a queer man in his profession, with someone else who came out later in life. i repeat, this is not about eddie.

as for eddie and buddie, the show isn’t over yet. also eddie’s dating someone else right now - i would hate if they ruined it by making him cheat or whatever. anyway, we have an early renewal for s8, and it’s very much a matter of being patient with these characters as they navigate a world that was, previously, completely unknown to them.

so anon, am i disappointed? absolutely not. i’m a manner of speaking, they did go exactly where they’ve been building buck’s queer arc over the last 7 seasons. because you don’t even watch the show, but if you did, you’d see exactly why it fits so well for what we know.

#zee answers #the commitment to misery is so flabbergasting is2g #anon i beg pls watch the show first akdkdksksks

[slice-0f-anime]

Young RinHaru is everything

I know this is my first post on this blog but it isn't my first time ranting, so buckle up and hear me out!

Also, disclaimer: my ships are my ships, and your ships are yours. If you're a MakoHaru or SouRin or basically anything but a RinHaru shipper, I respect you, and hope that you'll respect me in turn, so please don't attack me for my opinions ty!

Genuinely. What. Is up with Haru and Rin in the Free! movie about their youth??? "High Speed! Free! Starting Days!"????

Guys, it took me the longest time ever to even bring myself to watch that movie for 2 different reasons: 1) Rin was not in it, and 2) Someone on Reddit said it was very MakoHaru coded.

It's pretty obvious by the name of the post but I don't ship MakoHaru. Yes they have cute moments sometimes that melt my heart, but overall Haru takes Makoto for granted pretty often, and it only really hit him that he might lose his friend when Makoto said he was going to uni in Tokyo. Anyways, that's unrelated since I'm trying to talk about the movie, but yeah I really only see them as best friends that support each other.

Getting back to the main point, I really wasn't interested in watching a movie that not only didn't have my favorite shark in it, but also heavily featured a ship I didn't like. Then I decided those were pathetic reasons not to watch it, and the prospect of seeing young Makoto won me over.

And then I watched it. And.

Why didn't anybody tell me that despite the fact that Rin isn't even in this movie, the fact that he isn't there is driving the entire main conflict for Haru??? It was actually a crazy surprise, I wasn't expecting that at all and I was genuinely shook by it. Nearly the whole movie, Haru is plagued by loneliness and doesn't even realize he's lonely until Ikuya breaks down. And then he acknowledges that without Rin there, he was literally struggling. So much to the point that he hallucinated Rin being there and swimming with him. Nevermind the fact that Rin was in the same school as him for maybe 3 months, he had this big of an impact and it shows. Basically a lot of the movie was Haru being sad that Rin was gone, and he still angsts over him until episode 1 when Rin is back from Australia.

Also, his reaction to Rin's letter was so cute, and the letter itself killed me because it's so clearly a confession, one that Haru basically reciprocated. I know Japan likes censorship but oh my god Sousuke was trying to say it was a confession letter without saying it, because he said stuff like "you can see where Rin originally wrote you" and "it was one-sided like he wasn't expecting a response" (don't hold me to these, I'm a bit lazy to get the exact quotes).

You know when people do that? In CONFESSION LETTERS. And then Haru was like I want to be like you too Rin. And then I hear that this is MakoHaru coded? I mean the pool scene was cute but I wouldn't file this under the Makoharu folder just yet. I think it's one of those that goes under into the Undecided, along with Eternal Summer. I do think it's pretty obvious that the creators endgame was RinHaru though, considering what unfolded in The Final Stroke movie. I'm glad too, they finally stopped teasing millions of different ships for the sake of the fanbase, and just stuck to one.

It's pretty clear that people's ships definitely color their summary of events, seeing as the Reddit person told me this was MakoHaru without at all mentioning Rin. I do that often too, it's hard to not do so when you have an opinion, so the next best thing is to respect opinions :)

Thanks for listening to me rant about a ship I like lol, and if you wanna scream with me about RinHaru or other anime related things, feel free to hit up the dm!

#rinharu #rin matsuoka #haruka nanase #free! #free! iwatobi swim club #free! the final stroke #free! high speed #rin and haru are literally so in love idk what to do

[taylortruther]

Rae I was just having thoughts about You're Losing Me a while ago, and it really is just such an enigmatic song yk. I can never explain the way it made me feel the first time I heard it.

Just sumn about hearing all those wonderful, romantic, idyllic love songs about Joe for five whole albums and then just. YLM hits you like a truck because till then we still hadn't processed it all. Joe had been painted as this perfect, calm supportive partner who can do no wrong and Taylor is happy and it will always stay that way...and then April 9th happened.

Public perception is a crazy thing, and it's even crazier how nobody even DARED to speak the words that thy could've broken up before they did...but the red flags were there all along. It reminds me of the line in sotb "I don't speak, afraid to jinx it" and now that song is in the denial playlist. Truly everyone was in denial for like a month after the news dropped and we weren't even IN the relationship, I can't imagine how bad it was for Taylor herself.

Someone on Twitter quoted the breakup announcement with "Isn't this the guy she wrote Lover for? Yeah, we're all screwed". Amazing how much her own songs made everyone believe everything was okay till the very last moments.

I think especially what YLM strikes me as is a song centered around not wanting to throw away a "good thing" i.e. the Do I throw out everything we built or keep it?

YLM is so horribly bleak imo, because it's not hopeful AT ALL. The last line is very literally her "making the decision" that unless he chooses her, she's done. And to think this was written in 2021?? Had she already accepted the truth back then? Did the denial stage start even BEFORE that? Was she sitting in the dark room for an year and a half?

The thing that hurts the most about a song like this with all the lyric parallels, is watching something you thought was gonna last forever turn out to be so disapointing in the end. Not WANTING to lose something you've built with so much love, even when you realise that the love has disappeared. The shattering of a mirage. All the We survived the great war imagery on Midnights to My heart won't start anymore for you. Her paralleling her own past songs will always break me. The silence that only comes when two people understand each other to You say 'I don't understand' and I say 'I know you don't'.

Of course the fandom believed at a point that they were endgame, but SO DID SHE. That is what makes the song harder to digest because it really feels like a personal letter to her fans, released ONLY for us months before it was made available to the public. I stand behind the theory that Midnights was the Denial album, and YLM (the bridge between Midnights and TTPD) is her waking up.

i know this isn't the point of your ask, but bear with me! i would argue that many fans realized some songs were describing dark or heavy moments - but, call it parasocial if you like, the fandom just wanted to believe they were working through those issues, not that the relationship was unhealthy or bad. (and no one wants to be labeled as a hater, which, maybe we can work on as a fandom now lol.) for example, i thought hoax and renegade were troubling, the line "your integrity makes me seem small" rubbed many of us the wrong way, we all clocked "maybe it was her"... meanwhile, unfortunately there were lots of theories about how it was "all in her head," which fortunately i think we can all put in perspective now. OK BUT MY POINT IS, it also makes it easy to imagine (as you said), that when you're IN the relationship itself, the good parts might overshadow the bad. you could cling to something that is beyond saving because there's still comfort or hope, and denial is extremely strong. denial can feel like hope tbh.

i think ylm really shows that she was trying so so hard, for so so long, that she was running out of steam in late 2021. and he wasn't make it easier for her, because he wasn't making his needs or true desires clear.

ANYWAY good thoughts, i enjoyed this ask!

#ylm

[gayofthefae]

No bc it's the fact that I WASN'T that invested in Byler during vol 1 actually I got invested in between volumes so really the entire time I wasn't like "ooh another clue!" I started believing they were gonna be endgame - to the extent that I assumed it was the intention to be obvious and I was just behind only to find out that people didn't think it was as obvious as the St*ncy flirting was and was baffled - I literally was passively confident so I wasn't like noting down the proof at all I was super focused on Lucas and Max tbh and Byler was also cute, right?

So what I'm saying is that I realized in 4x02 then had no reaction basically, except empathy, of course, but no surprise, when Mike couldn't tell El he loved her even though they had not yet had issues when I started believing in Byler and I did not bat my eye when Mike talked to and looked at Will like that or all the other moments we've found obvious.

I am one of the many shippers that joined in season 4 after it BECAME obvious and then was like "you guys didn't see it??" I saw it and then analyzed how we got there for fun is what I think many antis don't understand. I didn't need the details to know. It was obvious to me, I just like to nerd out on filmography.

So point being it was always obvious. I never even thought of anything up until after the ily speech as "proof", or rather after volume 1 when I saw that there were apparently doubters I had to defend against, because I didn't NEED proof.

I went "Oooh he can't tell El he loves her I woonder why" in the same way I went "Oooh Max called Lucas' name in the upside down and her memories were a lot of him". Like I could have been wrong about them getting back together, technically, but it's the natural prediction one makes based on context. Byler was the natural prediction I made based on context. Just like L*max getting back together. Just like J*pper getting together. Could I have been wrong? Yes. Was I? No.

I just- I cannot emphasize enough how passively confident I was in Byler before logging on. I am now actively confident and with loads of proof, but honestly I feel like the biggest comfort and best argument to people who aren't invested like that is that once I realized - realized, not "believed" - that Mike would reciprocate Will's feelings, I forgot about it as a concern, relaxed, and just watched the show like anything else. If they got together I wouldn't have been like "told you!" because I didn't think anyone would miss it beyond the point I did any more than they would miss the other canon couple predictions I brought up - some people would, sure, but that many? Jesus.

Really, volume 2 just revealed to me that it was supposed to be more of a twist in season 5. It subverted my expectations of the Duffers' intentions for audience perception, not my expectations for the plot. I thought that everyone misinterpreted what they were obviously telling us but volume 2 revealed to me that I suppose we were purposefully divided. Doesn't change the outcome. The only surprise was the delivery.

Two times I had the thought "why are they doing this?" in the season. When Mike and Will fought in the roller rink and when Mike told El he loved her. Guess which plot became heavily backed up the more new episodes I watched and guess which one contradicted.

#stranger things #byler #first watch

[theyaregayyourhonor]

I will never get over s4 El/Mike/Will reunion in the desert

Like the visual storytelling actually altered my brain chemistry. I will not be the same and I am baffled how can people come out of that scene thinking Mike and El are endgame. Like that scene is peak Show don't Tell.

First the scene starts with El still glaring into the desert, than Mike scares her, like he calls her name but she doesn't really clocks it. He grabs her shoulder and El get spoked at first than realizes that its Mike.

This scene is meant to be romantic, but it kinda off. First the whole thing is abrupt, it just jumps onto El and the viewer, there is no built up of Mike and El looking at eachother, El starting to smile and than having the hug. It just comes down on her.

It's beautifully shows how they relationship started, El and Mike just bumped into eachother in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by destruction and death and latched onto eachother.

The magic also broken by Argyle walking behind them, Will blurred image at the (arguably most) romantic moment than Argyle again (who we later see watching the dead bodies totally flipped out) and said dead bodies.

Also important what Mike and El say.

They talk about how Mike is real and he is here.

It's really you.

It's me.....I'm here...everyones here.

There is no; Are you okay? What happened? I am so sorry! I love you!

This is just El and Mike discussing that yes, Mike is here and yes, he is infact real.

(interesting when you also consider that Max has a simiral conversation with Vecna in the mind palace. You're not really here/Oh but I am, Max. I am. Plus Both Max and El has something around their neck)

So Mike points out that everybody is here and than it cuts to Will, the focus is him standing in front of this beautiful scenery. Like it really is just picturesque, than pans back to Mike and El behind them every body.

The moment El locks eyes with Will she doesn't look away. Her gaze is set on that boy and she is determined to get to him, Mike helps her

Which again shows how Mike was the one who brought El into Will's life, Will wouldn't have a sister if Mike doesn't found El that night in the woods, or if he does end up sending her to the asylum or if s2 they didn't reconnect. El and Will wouldn't have this amazing relationship, they wouldn't have eachother.

The moment we see Will again he is just about to cry, his arms are already out to hug her.

Like this is beautiful, I can't stress it enough. Will hugging El so strongly, the two of them being surrounded by the scenery, nobody else just the two of them.

Their conversation is also telling:

Are you okay?

I'm okay

They talk about EL! Will needs to know if El is okay, he also focuses on the collar, his hands are around it and we all know he already trying to figure out a way to get it of.

Also while Will is focused on the collar El still looks at Will smiling, like she just stares at his face with so much love and relief and when he ask if she is okay she nods and her smile just becomes bigger.

Than we have a cut to Jonathan, and this moment is now focused on the three of them, we don't see Argyle or Mike or the van or the bodies we see this three as Jonathan says they have to go and get her to safety.

Than this happens:

The collar comes off and El takes it off herself.

In that moment El is freeing herself from a lot of things. From the lab, from the superhero vs monster thing, from Brenner and what he did to her, but with everything we saw she also finally ready to end her relationship with Mike.

The scene is a beautiful representation of their relationship. It came out of nowhere when El was running and in danger. There was a lot of death behind her, a lot of thing she was scared of and wanted someone to be there for her.

Mike helped her, a lot, but the relationship was more of comfort than real romantic love, they talk about how Mike is really here, as he was there for El before too, he was the only real thing in El life. The only real friend she had, the only real person she met, the only real connection to the outside world she had.

Than Mike points out that everybody is here, that they are all here, and El meets Will's eyes.

In that moment Mike helps El out again (Mike and El having a relationship after Hopper's death and the moving) and letting her go. Mike doesn't go with her, he stays where he is as El walks towards Will.

Will who cares about El, Will who loves El, Will who is the brother of El.

Will asks if El is okay, and when El says she is okay he is happy, but the coar is not off yet. No the Duffers really said; Throw in Jonathan.

And after she talks to Jonathan, after that the collar opens up and El removes it herself.

El, to be free and happy had to walk away from the relationship that was built onto fake romantic feelings. She had to walk away into the arms of the people who loved her, cared for her and will except her for who she. To be free she had to reconnect with her brothers.

I am physically unwell!

Also Also

El starts the lab story line with hair like Joyce, plaids like Hopper, a shirt that is very much like Lucas s1 attire and the white pants plus white shirt with flowers and pink at the end of the sleeves.

Plaids are just a Hopper-Byers sigil at this point. Hopper wears them, Joyce wears them, Jonathan wears them, Will wears them, El takes a piece of them with her. She has a hair like Joyce, again something she takes from them and brings with her, than the shirt that is connecting her to the party.

El takes those and puts it on her because she wants to belong and feel connected to them.

The lab takes away her hair almost immediately, than they gave her that white clothes she has to wear and in the flashbacks (i have no idea what are those really) she wears a hospital gown.

El looses them all, and she has no power over it.

When she gets away she again puts on everything that connects her to her loved ones. Plaids, the Lucas inspired shirt, the white pants and shirt.

But than she slowly gets back everybody.

Will, Jonathan, Joyce, Hop and she takes those of and all that it leaves is the white and pink and flowers, all it leaves is El, finally ready to found out who she is, ready to become the person she is, to found out what she likes.

El ends s4 ready to grow into the young woman she is and s5 will be about her fully coming into herself, and I can't wait to see it.

#eleven #el hopper byers #jane hopper #byler #< target audience #willel

[buddiebeginz]

Rewatching that Zach Sang interview with Oliver makes me more convinced than ever that Buddie is coming. The question about Buddie was at the end of the interview and it didn't really feel like an organic question more like something maybe they were requested to ask about.

I mean why not ask Oliver what the future of Buck and T*mmy is considering he's the one Buck is actually dating right now? And like I said in a previous post about this Oliver could have answered this many different ways in an effort to not get people’s hopes up. It just feels like they're trying to get the audience ready for Buddie by talking about them so much. They talk about Buddie in pretty much every 911 interview about the show lately. This wouldn’t be happening if the intention was for Eddie to be straight and Buddie was never going to be a possibility. The focus would be exclusively on Buck and T*mmy and while they have gotten some focus because of Buck’s coming out and that’s who he’s dating there’s always stuff about Buddie and Eddie. Tim and Oliver and the rest know how popular Buddie is, if it wasn’t happening I truly think they’d try and distance themselves and Buck from that. Obviously you want fans to tune in but you also don't want fans expecting something that's never going to happen because people will just get frustrated and tune out.

They very intentionally made Buck's coming out connected to Eddie in such a huge way that if Buddie wasn't happening I find it next to impossible that not one person would have looked at the script especially for 7x04 and said hey maybe we shouldn't feature Eddie so heavily in this episode when so many people want to see these characters in a relationship.

Plus everything that Lou has been saying too leads me to believe he's not staying beyond this season. Like I know some of you really like him and like him and Buck together but nothing the show has been telling us and nothing the actors etc are telling us gives me the impression he's being set up to be a long term love interest.

I also think when you look at Buck in some ways he's almost the main character of the show. I know it's an ensemble show and I know more experienced actors like Angela Bassett and Peter Krause get a lot of attention but if you go back an watch earlier seasons a lot of storylines are from Buck's pov to a certain extent. Plus there isn't another character that we've watched grow and change as much as we have Buck. My point is considering Buck is such a central character of the show (and an extremely popular one at that) I find it highly unlikely they're going to just stick him with any ol love interest as his endgame ship. Especially now that Tim is back as showrunner he's expressed that he didn't really like some of Buck and Eddie's past relationships.

Oliver has also talked in interviews about how Buck is going to have to work at his next relationship and I don't see that as being with T*mmy. He hasn't really had to put any work into this thing with him. He liked T*mmy and now they're dating. Same as with any other relationship he's been in. Oliver literally said that is how all of Buck's relationships have been. He likes a person and he gets that person and he said this season that is supposed to change for Buck.

The thing that will be different I think is when Buck finally realizes he's in love with Eddie and has to deal with that. I also wonder if Buck is going to have to work to prove to Eddie he wants to be with him. Eddie has been there loving and supporting Buck for years but then you had Buck saying (last season) that Natalia (this women who he just met) saw him in a way no one else does. Which I think had to have hurt Eddie on some level.

I also wonder if Eddie, once he truly realizes his feelings for Buck will be hesitant to change their relationship. Eddie has historically chosen romantic partners he doesn't allow himself to get too invested in, I think so he doesn't have to be afraid of losing them like he and Chris lost Shannon. I also think that Buck actually dying for a few minutes when he was struck by lightning brought all of this up even more for Eddie. Buck has been the one constant in Eddie and Chris' life and I wonder how Eddie will deal with things as the relationship is changing. I think he'll be afraid of losing Buck and resistant at first so I see a lot of areas where the show can take things to have Buck be the one to fight for Eddie and for them to be together.

There's also the fact that Buddie parallels Bathena, Madney, and Henren all the time. The show has a history of these epic ships while Buck and Eddie have for so long been in these lackluster relationships that go nowhere with partners that are not their equals. The deserve to have a great love story every bit as much as the other characters and that's clearly with each other.

#sorry this got rambly just had a lot of thoughts #911! #buddie

[mlchaelwheeler]

Why Mike and El Shouldn't (And Won't) Be Endgame

Before I start this analysis of sorts, I just want to say that yes, I do believe byler will be endgame, but I will be taking an objective perspective to Mike and El's respective characters, as well as their relationship with each other. That aside, let's dive in!

Mike and El meet at a very eventful time in both of their lives. For Mike, his best friend of 7 years has just gone missing. For El, she's just escaped a prison (the lab) where she's spent her whole life. They are pushed together by a mutual need: Mike needs El to find Will, and El needs Mike to survive the real world, and stay away from the "bad men." It's clear throughout S1 that Mike and El have created a special bond--while some call it romantic, I don't think that's really on their minds. What they want (and need at this point) is a strong friendship.

El has just escaped from the only place she's ever known, thrust into a new world she knows nothing about, and in which she knows no one. Should she be jumping into a romantic relationship 2ish days after meeting Mike? No, she absolutely should not. I doubt she even understands what romance is, let alone the difference between being Mike's friend or his girlfriend--to her, they likely mean the same thing: Mike cares about her. It's the same for Mike. S1 shows (and tells) us over and over again that Mike isn't thinking about El as a possible girlfriend. Lucas tells him: "if you love her so much, why don't you marry her?" Dustin questions why Mike doesn't understand why Lucas is upset and has to spell it out that Lucas is jealous of El--jealous that Mike is wasting time on her when they could be looking for Will at the lab. Even Nancy asks Mike if he likes El. To all 3 of these querys, Mike responds negatively or is confused. He clearly isn't thinking about El romantically, but he is starting to realize maybe he should be, since everyone is asking him about her.

For me, S1 is the purest and best form of Mike and El's relationship. It's their true dynamic together before they're forced to conform to outside expectations. Once S2 starts, we see El watching romantic soap operas on tv, likely shaping her view of what romance is like. After her rushed kiss with Mike in the S1 finale, she's likely realizing that this means she's Mike's girlfriend now, and should be initiating romantic interactions between them. From the soap operas, she's getting a very over exaggerated view of what romance is--however, she has no way to tell that it's not realistic. In soap operas, people break up all the time and get back together the next episode. It's normal, right? She sure thinks so. This will go on to skew her views of her relationship with Mike. No matter what they go through, or how he treats her, it will always work out in the end. That's how the soap operas go anyways. El is clinging to a sense of perceived normalcy because she so desperately wants to be normal for once.

While Mike doesn't see El much in S2 (he's with Will all season), he calls her on the radio every night since she goes missing. Lots of people read this as romantic and a big love confession of sorts, but I think Mike would've done this for any one of the Party. Time and time again, we're shown how loyal Mike is to his friends--remember, this is the same Mike who jumped off a cliff to save Dustin's teeth!! He obviously felt massive guilt over El's "death" in the S1 finale. She slept in his basement, helped him find Will alive, relied on him to keep her safe from the "bad men," and then "died" keeping him and his friends safe? No wonder he called her every night hoping she was still out there--after all, he did see her that same night outside his living room window, so he did have a reason to hope she'd actually hear him. Again though, if Lucas or Dustin would've disappeared instead of El, I think Mike would've called them on the radio too, trying to reach them. Remember, all throughout S1, Mike believed (not really) that Will was dead--and even saw his body!--but still attempted to contact him over the radio multiple times. If he did this for Will, obviously he would for El too. These are parallels that should be noticed together.

Moving on to S3, this is the first time we see Mike and El as an actual couple. This is obviously the first relationship for either of them, and it's made clear from the start of the season that they're not better together than they are apart. Whereas their interactions are sweet and inclusive of their friends in S1 and S2, come S3, they're ignoring everyone in favor of constantly making out. They don't even really talk to each other! When Mike tries singing, El tells him to stop and just resumes kissing him. When Mike tries to find El a gift at the mall, he is unable to do so--not because he doesn't have enough money, but because he has no idea what she'd actually like.

The sad thing is, no matter what he'd pick out, El would probably love it, because it's from Mike. S3 makes it clear El hasn't grown her sense of identity at all since escaping the lab--nearly 2 years prior! She sadly asks Max at the mall, "how do I know what I like?" She's never actually stopped to consider what she might enjoy because she just always goes along with whatever Mike or Hopper tells her. That's not really anyone's fault, it's just how it is because they're teaching her about the normal world. She's been learning so much that she hasn't had time to stop and think about what she enjoys. Luckily, the break she gets from Mike allows her to explore other possibilities--new styles, new food, and new friendships. Her time with Max is the time when she arguable gets the most growth character-wise in the series. She can focus on herself without being caught up in Mike.

I should also point out here that the story makes it clear that El only grows as a character when she's apart from Mike. This is intentional--when she's Mike's girlfriend, she is stagnant as a character. In S2, her solo adventure to discover her past helps her understand her roots and develop her powers. She becomes more independent--traveling to Mama's house and Chicago by herself, which is a huge step for her after not leaving the lab for 12 years. Then, she gets back to Hawkins and "defeats" the mindflayer, but from that point on her character falls short, as she goes back to Mike. She regains this sense of independence and agency in S3 after she breaks up with Mike, and has more development up until she loses her powers. When 3 months go by, and she's moving, she seems to be back to how she was before the breakup--completely dependent on Mike. We see this again in the opening of S4. Her room is a literal shrine to Mike! She has't made any friends, has isolated herself emotionally and physically, and is sending letters full of lies to Mike. When Mike arrived in California, they go back to their old S3 selves, but things are a bit off because El's covering for her lies. She's obviously angry because Mike can't tell her he loves her, so she's in tune that something in their relationship is wrong. Unfortunately, El sees her worth as being tied to her powers, so when Dr. Owens gives her the opportunity to get them back, she jumps at the chance. Maybe Mike will love her if she goes to become a superhero again. After all, that's why he "fell in love" with her in the first place right? Because she used her powers to find Will and save them from the demogorgan?

El's narrative has been building up her independence since the beginning of S2. She has to realize that her powers do not define her--she's worth so much for just being her! If Mike tells her he loves her just after she gets her powers back, it will feel cheap. El should be affronted by this, and should rightfully call him out. Mike can find thousands of other reasons to love El besides her powers! If he can't say it, well, there must be a deeper reason. I think that by diving into her past, El has been able to understand her trauma more fully and grow from that, triggering her hopeful resurgence of independence. However, the story has made it clear that she can't do that while being in a romantic relationship with Mike.

Speaking of Mike, let's look closer at how his interactions with El have changed after becoming her boyfriend vs when they were just friends. I think everyone can agree that Mike and El were adorable in S1. Their smiles, their understanding that they were both missing something (a home and a best friend), and their actions say it all. However, these are all platonic things, and I think they both viewed themselves as just friends until other people brought romantic feelings into the equation. In S1, Mike shows lots of emotion when interacting with El: his smile and voice after she saves him from the cliff ("El, you're not the monster, you saved me. You saved me!"), explaining what friendship is, setting up the basement fort for her, yelling at Papa as he takes her away, etc. Mike also shows emotion with her in S2, before they're properly "together." However, his interactions with her feel much more forced and unemotional with her from S3 onward. He doesn't even seem a bit sad after El breaks up with him--if anything, he seems offended, not something someone who just lost the love of their life should feel. When he tries to clue El into his feelings in the grocery store, he stutters around the real words, unable to make eye contact or say "I love you." When she confesses her love to him before moving away, he doesn't respond and looks downright confused after their kiss. When she confronts him about "from Mike" in S4, Mike is stiff and unemotional as El sobs in front of him. He blames other people for their problems when the real problem is himself. This isn't the same Mike as S1-2, where he would've shown at least some emotion and done anything to make El feel better.

These are key narrative choices that the show has been pushing to show that something's not right--things are not as they should be. If we step back and look at Mike and El's narratives as a whole, it's clear that they're both worse versions of themselves when they're together. Mike becomes an unemotional puppet of himself, simply going through the motions of being in a relationship. El becomes completely dependent and lost in a fantasy world of soap opera-type relationships, and is unable to cope with faced with real-world problems. If the show has constantly pushed this idea, how does it make sense that they'd end up together? Why stunt the development of 2 main characters just to have Mike and El end in a romantic relationship? It's clear that they're the most genuine with each other--and the rest of their friends/family--when they're platonic with a capital P. The narrative isn't building up to a big romantic confession, it's leading to a mutual understanding that they never shouldn't rushed into a relationship they neither wanted nor understood in the first place.

#these are my thoughts on these 2. i think they're the bestest besties tho <3 elmike >>>>> #i was very objective. but it's clear that mike is worse with el. who is he better with??? will. that's who #ok thanks for coming to my ted talk #mike wheeler #jane hopper #byler #stranger things #stranger things analysis #sarah.txt #meta

[beevean]

That was one of my criticisms for Castlevania Season 2, when I watched it back in 2018: so much screen time spent on Dracula moping and waiting for release from his pain. I think such a miserable position for the FINAL BOSS should've been preserved for an endgame reveal, instead of explicitly displayed for hours of animation frames. But, if you could adjust his arc, where would you do it?

Alright, so.

My unshakeable idea is that the CoD prequels tell a perfectly coherent story, and a good writer could have easily intertwined the hero side of Trevor and the gang approaching Dracula's castle and bonding in the meantime (bonding, not Alucard participating in the Cunt Olympics), with the villain side showcasing Dracula destroying villages and losing himself in his fury and Hector being so disgusted by the senseless violence that he leaves, creating a chain of events where Isaac has to follow him to kill him/retreive him, therefore leaving Dracula unprotected against the legendary Belmont, his son, and a terrifying witch. (in this version there's not even Death, so Dracula really was left without his best people)

What kills N!Dracula in S2 is that he has zero drive. The villain plot hinges exactly on this point. He's patiently waiting for everyone to die, but he's not supervising the war that he has started, leaving room for discord, discontent, doubts, and giving this random regional ruler the chance to swoop in and seize control by simply telling Hector "hey cutie follow me 😘".

The idea that the other vampires disagree with Dracula makes sense. He is leading them to a slow, painful death by starving. I do think Dracula should have grown more paranoid and eager to mantain control, though: N!Dracula strikes me as being disrespected and not even worthy of respect. Again, I remind you of the fact that Carmilla made fun of him and Lisa in front of everyone, and Dracula let her go without so much as a slap on the wrist. No fucking way this should fly. This is not a villain I can take seriously. I want this bastard back:

"this bitch believes he can have an opinion. yeet"

Like. Have him being a menace to everyone in the court. A hated menace, maybe, but for fuck's sake give him back some charisma! None of that "my fwiends don't wike me anymowe. awe you stiww my fwiend, Isaac-kun? 🥺"

I hate the inclusion of Carmilla, and while I can think about how to fix her by making her less of a walking stereotype, her role in the story is to make Dracula and his lackeys look profoundly stupid: Hector for easily going along with her plans (her protests sound plausible at first, but then she talks about unseating Dracula out in the open??? and then Hector, the supposed General, has the balls to be all surprisedpikachu.jpg when he has to betray Dracula????), and Dracula and Isaac for giving in to her whims simply to shut her up, while fully knowing that she doesn't have good intentions. She's not necessary to this portion of the story. Hector in the show already starts out as not liking the slaughter of innocents despite him being okay with culling, and in this version he was outright lied to by Dracula. He should have, by all means, realized by himself that he was deceived, that no one in that joint takes him seriously, and defected out of personal hurt, before learning something about human empathy. Having an underling witness the full extent of Dracula's cruelty and stubborness makes him look better than whatever this is:

And yes. Witness. Show. I swear this show hates to show things. Dracula only effectively destroys a village on screen in the very first episode. That was cool! Why can't we have cool things here??

I don't care that Carmilla's removal would radically change Hector's plotline in S3 and 4. Considering what happens to him, it's for the best. Because Carmilla is completely irrelevant for anyone else: her plans barely have the chance to step out of her castle before getting squashed, and the Trephacard gang never learns about her. Yeah I know Isaac has his Belmont moment when he kills her, but you know. His desire for revenge should be about Hector anyway :) They are supposed to have a whole story together, not him being the Jesus of the situation while Hector is some rapist's chew toy :) but hey, for that, my friend @chumpovodir already thought on how to fix that mess.

Anyway. Dracula in S2 should have at the very least engaged in more on-screen atrocities. His random flashback where he kills the merchants in an oddly sexual way doesn't count, because that was a way to say "oh look at him, he was so Evil before Lisa healed him with the Power of Love 🥺". No, I mean that in the present. Dracula is a petty, vile man who overreacts to genuine grief by spreading around his misery. He needs to be insane, but proactive.

Oh, and he should have turned into a monster >:\

I apologize if this answer doesn't fully satisfy you lmao. I tend to go into tangents lol, this show activates my braincells like little else

#anti netflixvania #anyway i suppose a fun exercise for me will be to think about how to include carmilla and keeping her as an angry control freak #without making dracula look bad #while he still has to die lmao

[sevensoulmates]

if the bi buck spec is true then tommy is literally the definition of a plot device meant for bucks development this season, which means he's probably done in the end of the season which makes sense why they've brought back a person who cameo'd in s2 to be a part of a characters arc in s7. i think by the end of the season buck will be confident in who he is thanks to his time with tommy and be open and comfortable with the idea of being with men meanwhile I think Eddie and Marisol will absolutely break up and why is going to be obvious to everyone but Eddie, setting us up for a season 8 that's going to tell the story they wanted to tell in S5 but the FOX network stopped them and that is the journey to Buddie getting together. This is going to be an angst filled season for sure, but by the end of it I fully expect we are fully on the road to Buddie. Hell the second Buck is kissed by a man, that's the moment Buddie is confirmed as the endgame because the only reason you even do this is because you fully intend to tell the story you've wanted to tell for multiple seasons and that is Buddie.

Good morning friend!

I'm really hoping the Buck/Tommy spec is true because you're absolutely right, he would absolutely be a temporary plot device for Buck's queer realization arc, and I'm 100% down for that. The GA (but honestly all viewers, even hardcore shippers) NEED something to happen on-screen that confirms queerness in one or both of Buck and Eddie. This is the very first step to signal to the audience that Buck's endgame person...just might be a man. And who do we know on this show who's a man who's perfect for Buck in literally every way? It will get people thinking, especially if Eddie is somehow peripherally involved in Buck's arc, even just as someone watching them.

I don't know what's gonna happen with that honestly, but if Buck is confirmed queer, I truly don't see how that won't have an effect on Eddie in some way. I don't know how, but if the writers play their cards right it could be a tandem queer realization (though maybe delayed in Eddie like you said cuz he's still gotta get over things with Marisol and on a more unconscious level, Shannon), but they really have set us up to come back full circle to season 5 if that's the case. Both Buck and Eddie need to make active choices about their relationships again.

Maybe this time, Eddie will be able to break up with Marisol knowing full well why his relationship with her won't work out. Maybe this time, Buck will be able to have a short-lived fling with Tommy, and be able to open his eyes to the fact that the love he actually wants is right in front of him (the calling back to Buck, Actually is getting my hopes SO HIGH and I'm trying my damndest not to get too caught up in it.)

I think season 7 could be the perfect transition season, and I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean in terms of setting us up for the story that wants and needs to be told in future seasons.

(again, I know this is all some serious spec built off some leaps of faith the fandom has taken with behind-the-scenes info) BUT if we get any of these things this season, I seriously believe we have a higher chance than ever of seeing canon buddie in season 8:

Queer Buck (whether it involves Tommy or someone else, etc.)

Eddie breaking up with Marisol by the end of the season (bonus points if it has anything to do with Buck/Buck's queerness, or happens prior to the wedding, or even at the wedding)

Queer Buck affecting Eddie in any way (even subtextually)

Any sort of big moment that signals a romantic shift in perspective toward the other one (could happen at literally any time)

It would also be amazing if they have any sort of moment at Chim's bachelor party or wedding (this is another popular spec, right? I've seen it going around) because those are both surrounded by themes of love and future commitment and could also be foreshadowing.

Season 7 honestly has the chance do something great and I'm okay with conflict getting in the way of that (Tommy, Natalia, Marisol, the ghost of Shannon, etc.) if it means they're setting up for buddie to actually happen in s8 or beyond.

#911 abc #buddie #again I realize this is all based on major speculation and we don't have anything concrete to go off of right now #but I'm telling you SOMETHING has shifted with this switch to abc #and if there was ever a perfect time to make big changes to any of the characters it's now #I believe in you abc and Tim #ask

[pllat30]

Pilot Rewatch

A warning that my posts may contain spoilers for FIRST time watchers!!

I'm going to be sharing my original thoughts during the first time watching this when I was 17, and my current thoughts rewatching at 30. Some things have changed a lot for over the years lol

I'd also like to add that I may talk about characters being attractive or whatever, but I'm most likely talking about the ACTORS. **For example, Ezra, when I first watched PLL I fell in love with him. Of course, now things have changed with how I feel about the character, but I still find the actor, Ian Harding, incredibly attractive. So if it seems like I'm complimenting Ezra in my current thoughts, I'm talking about Ian.

The Barn Scene:

Right off the bat, the song, DONTTRUSTME by 3OH!3 throws so much nostalgia in my face!! I loved that song so much when it came out!!

Do they really only have the one glass of alcohol they're passing around? Why not a whole bottle?

I know the girls seem really cringy a lot of times but really, that's how a lot of teens are lol so cringe. I definitely was!

First Watch: Hmm. What was Spencer doing awake first??

Rewatch: My poor baby Spencer! :(

Present time, Aria moved back:

I fell in love with Aria's style right away! And her storyline with the secret between her and her dad, Bryon, got me hooked for sure.

Even now, I find it hard to see a teen girl going into a bar alone and ordering food. Unless it's more of a bar and grill?? I'm not sure.

First watch: Ezra is so cute! Just a regular guy thinking he found a cute girl his age. He seems so sweet.

Rewatch: OMG noooo Aria! RED FLAG! He even mentioned writing a BOOK!! OMG!

DANG girl! Aria, you used to just kissing guys who you JUST MET???

Hanna, Mona, and Spencer at the Mall:

I did not like Hanna, Spencer, and Mona at all at in this scene. They seemed so bitchy and snobby. I could not relate to them at all at 17. Now I see awkwardness between Hanna and Spencer, they used to be so close and now they're not. I get that now whenever I run into people I went to school with lol still think Mona is a bitch.

First Watch: OMG Hanna is going to get caught! I can't watch! Rewatch: OMG Hanna your mom is going to hook up with that pervy detective now! I mean I'm not blaming you but damn it's going to suck for you!

Back to School with Aria:

Bryon and Aria are so tense in their scenes together talking about his stupid affair. With a student... I don't fail to see the irony. I actually love how that is written.

I love Emily and Aria's friendship. And I totally get falling out of touch with people.

Oh no... the new teacher... LMAO

Yuck, how Hanna and Mona walk into the classroom. Aria is shocked lol

First Watch: NO FUCKING WAY!! THE GUY FROM THE BAR IS HER TEACHER!! THATS HOT!

Rewatch: EW... OOOH OMG! Mona is at her desk kinda looking away and down like she's discreetly TEXTING under her desk! OHOHOHO!

Emily's House:

OMG I still hate Emily's mom, Pam. At least in the early parts of the show.

Not going to lie I almost forgot about Maya lol I wish her character lasted longer. Just meeting someone and hanging out in their room is wild to me now lol but at 17, totally normal lol but still a little awkward at first.

Spencer's House:

I HATE MELISSA SO MUCH!! ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL!! This is when I started liking Spencer, I felt so bad for her. She's such a hard worker.

First Watch: Oooh who is the hot British guy?? He deserves someone better than bitch Melissa. He's seems so sweet with Spencer. They should get together.

Rewatch: UGH, Wren is still so cute but... UGH I can't remember how exactly he ties into everything with the endgame. But now realizing that he's older and with Spencer's sister, he turned into a creeper.

Aria and Ezra alone in classroom:

First Watch: OMG Aria and Mr. Fitz is so sad. They like each other but can't be together!

Rewatch: Ezra should have stuck with saying he can't be involved with her, wtf!?!

Emily and Maya kiss:

First Watch: Aww, Emily and Maya are cute together. I don't get why Emily can't just come out and tell people.

Rewatch: This is so sad. I know why Emily doesn't want anyone to know, but still.

Spencer's house:

First Watch: I would love a hot British guy to rub my shoulders. So jealous.

Rewatch: I mean I would still love that, but not as a minor with an older guy who is dating and having sex with my older sister!! Get away from her Wren!

Bryon and Ella:

Like, IDK how Ella didn't just stop Bryon right there and ask him WTF is going on. He's acting so suspicious!

Spencer's room:

God I feel so bad for Spencer. I would have been so PISSED with someone moving into my space that I made! I wouldn't have been surprised if she just set the damn thing on fire lmao. WHO THE HELL DID SPENCER SEE IN ALSON'S BEDROOM WINDOW?? I STILL DON'T KNOW!!

FLASHBACKS:

ALI is such a bitch, how were the girls friends with her to begin with?? WTF!

Hanna's House:

OMG that detective is such a perv. He knew walking up to Hanna's door what was going to happen with Ashley making a deal,or at least hoped for it. That pervy grin he has walking inside... I forget exactly what the detective's connections are with Alison and A and everything... but he's sus.

I feel bad for Hanna, I had problems with my body and weight as a teen too... You don't need your father Hanna!! He's a little bitch.

OMG EWW the detective making out with Ashley right in front of Hanna, GROSS that Ashley knows Hanna is right there... WTF

Finding Alison's Body... This song… Suggestions by Orella Has Orchestra. It hits me RIGHT in the feels!!

LOL the recasting of some of the characters seen at the funeral.

First Watch: OMG Ezra and Aria are so cute! He stops her and they kiss again! Maybe things will work out.

Rewatch: Aria, STEP AWAY from Ezra!!!... EZRA!!! STOP!! POLICE!

"Popular in life and death." I love Spencer Quotes lol

OOOH the phone text notification!!

I'm still here bitches!!!

I was very entertained watching this again. I started to remember some things that are connected. I look forward to continuing watching and seeing what else I can catch! I love foreshadowing!

#pll rewatch #pretty little liars #pll #pllreview #plltheories #liars #whoisa #biga #ubera #aria montgomery #spencer hastings #hanna marin #emily fields #alison dilaurentis #ezra fitz #pllparents #2010s #nostolgic