amensisterfriend

So in a slightly surprising twist, 8. Jess thanks Luke for everything he's done for him, has triumphed! Time to start listing any and all awwww moments from S5 :)

So I was just rewatching Give Me a Sign and realized that if one of the sisters had to have a recurring semi-demonic 'bad boy with good heart' love interest, I kind of would have preferred super responsible, controlled but not-so-secretly badass Prue to have more of an affair with a guy like Bane than so many episodes of Phoebe/Cole. While I did love the Phoebe/Cole chemistry and connection, I also like the idea of Phoebe, who's always fighting her tendencies to become 'evil' in other universes and past lives, choosing to be with an unabashedly sweet 'good guy' in the long run, maybe a geeky/nerdy introvert with a secret fun side. (And we needed more geeky/nerdy guys on this show in general because...well, because I love those kind of guys, haha) Or maybe part of it is that, no matter what the writing tells me about these characters, I buy Shannon Doherty's Prue as more of a potential 'bad' girl/wild child who could POTENTIALLY abuse her power and strength than I do Alyssa Milano's Phoebe, who comes off as such an amiable, borderline naive sweetheart to me despite her flaws and no matter how much of a 'rebel' she supposedly was in her youth. Every time I rewatch episodes from S2, I hope to love that season more, and maybe I've finally reached that goal :) While there are a lot of elements of this season that irk me (most notably establishing P3, which I couldn't possibly care less about, and the endless and painfully dull Dan/Piper/Leo stuff, which I'll rant about again in a second!), I've finally come around to the view that S2 does have some of the series' best individual episodes, and arguably features 'my' Phoebe---who we know I love to an unpopular degree!---at her very most likable of the entire series. Okay, so thanks in advance for indulging me while I rant about the Leo/Piper/Dan nonsense. I will freely admit that I've always hated love triangle storylines in general, which is no longer as unpopular an opinion as it used to be as more and more of my fellow book/TV lovers become heartily sick of them :) But if a show IS going to subject us to a love triangle, at least make the two characters (Leo and Dan) who are vying for the triangle's central point a bit more clearly distinct from each other! I get that Dan was probably supposed to represent the 'easier' mortal life Piper always wanted to leave while Leo represented the complex but rewarding supernatural destiny and all that, but, jeez, Leo and Dan seemed to have more or less the EXACT same personality...or lack thereof :) I fanwank that Dan was a little more assertive/direct while Leo was supposed to be more easygoing and cheery or....something, but really, the show did a pretty terrible job defining these characters IMO, and they didn't get any better at writing for Leo as the series wore on. And while we were supposed to love that Piper didn't choose the more 'normal life with Dan, the truth is that being with Leo WAS actually the easier choice in some ways because he already knew her major secret and was so familiar with the supernatural aspects of their lives, so her ultimate choice didn't have that 'yay, she bravely chose the harder route for the sake of true love!" feel that it was supposed to. And then there's the fact that for all the talk about their epic love, we rarely saw Piper and Leo ever actually BEING in love or even enjoying each other and getting to know each other especially well. And then the Leo/Piper/Dan nonsense was inexplicably drawn out long past the point where Piper finally chose Leo---she's still fretting *constantly* about Dan, Dan is still fixated with finding out the truth about Leo, etc. And then...okay I'll just say that even as love triangles go, this one is particularly frustrating and dull for me to watch :) And if anything, I think Piper had more chemistry with Dan than with Leo...which says more about the amount of chemistry I think she had with Leo!

So it looks like Queen reigns supreme :) Meanwhile, let's start our list of hairstyles! Not everyone will agree that all of these belong in the 'least favorite' category, of course, but that's part of the fun :) Prue's short hair (S1) Piper's fringe/bangs (S1) Phoebe's short hair (S1) Prue's long blonde wig (Morality Bites) Piper's suddenly curly hair (Morality Bites and maybe a couple of other episodes too!) Prue's ill-fitting "bob" wig (Pardon My Past) Phoebe's blonde hair (S3) Phoebe's super spiral 'poodle' perm (parts of S3) Phoebe's reaaallly short, poorly cut bangs (S4) Phoebe's almost-no-hair-left hair of S6 Paige's really flat, dully brown hair (S4) (I don't know how to explain her S4 hair, but I think it's by far her least flattering) Paige's braided pigtails (a couple of times in S4!) Paige's unnaturally blonde hair (on and off!) Please feel free to add to the list!!!

Our final two: 1. Luke and Lorelai's dance. 8. Jess thanks Luke for everything he's done for him.

Please feel free to start nominating hairstyles, including pictures whenever you feel like it :)

Oh my god, I'm kind of in love with this idea! We have A LOT to choose from :)

Our terrific two! Long Live the Queen (Phoebe is Queen of the Underworld) Centennial Charmed (Cole throws everyone into an alternate reality where Paige never existed.) ...how can I choose between these two, both of which I adore beyond the telling of it?! I'll reluctantly vote against Centennial, because you could argue that some of it was a little anticlimactic given what we already saw in episodes like Long Live the Queen :) Meanwhile, what are we playing next?

Final three: 1. Luke and Lorelai's dance. 2. Luke finding the last twelve eggs for Kirk. 8. Jess thanks Luke for everything he's done for him. ...you know the drill by now!

And then there were three... Morality Bites (I'm not sure if this one counts, but Phoebe is a murderer in this one, so I thought maybe we should include it...?!) Long Live the Queen (Phoebe is Queen of the Underworld) Centennial Charmed (Cole throws everyone into an alternate reality where Paige never existed.) My vote: Morality Bites

Lulu, you know I have abandonment issues! ;) Seriously, thanks for letting me know, and have a great time! Meanwhile, 8 is history, and we're down to our final four: 1. Luke and Lorelai's dance. 2. Luke finding the last twelve eggs for Kirk. 5. Brian and Zach putting a shelf aside for Lane at their new apartment. 8. Jess thanks Luke for everything he's done for him.

Morality Bites (I'm not sure if this one counts, but Phoebe is a murderer in this one, so I thought maybe we should include it...?!) Long Live the Queen (Phoebe is Queen of the Underworld) Y Tu Mummy Tambien Centennial Charmed (Cole throws everyone into an alternate reality where Paige never existed.) I'll go against Pardon as well, and the next round is open! My vote: Mummy, and not just because I love Kohola and want to see her happy ;)

1. Luke and Lorelai's dance. 2. Luke finding the last twelve eggs for Kirk. 3. Luke comforting Lorelai during her breakdown. 5. Brian and Zach putting a shelf aside for Lane at their new apartment. 8. Jess thanks Luke for everything he's done for him. 17 is history, and the next round is open. We're still voting against one!

Sin (which may be my very favorite episode of the whole series for some reason---I can't even justify it!) is now history, and the next round is open! Morality Bites (I'm not sure if this one counts, but Phoebe is a murderer in this one, so I thought maybe we should include it...?!) Pardon My Past (Phoebe is transported to the 1920s in the manor where she is to kill Prue and Piper.) Long Live the Queen (Phoebe is Queen of the Underworld) Y Tu Mummy Tambien Centennial Charmed (Cole throws everyone into an alternate reality where Paige never existed.)

For me part of the issue is that the actress who played Juliet used this whispery, emotionless voice and the same blandly condescending smirk in virtually every single scene, so it was nearly impossible to tell what her actual thoughts and feelings were. I think they deliberately wanted her to seem enigmatic and intriguing, especially at first, but instead she came off weirdly robotic and just somehow never REAL to me even once we were supposed to know her better. And, as with most characters (especially the female ones), the Lost writers were pretty all over the place with Juliet, like they were never quite sure from one episode to the next what they wanted her personality and motivations to be. I felt like they vacillated as to whether she was insecure/jealous/secretly guilty about things she had done or borderline arrogant and remorseless. (Did she feel at all badly about having an affair with Harper's husband, by the way? I don't get the point of that story unless it was to show that she was once again 'the other woman' on the island since Jack had stronger feelings for Kate or...something, but either way it didn't illuminate anything about Juliet's personality to me other than she seemed weirdly entitled and insensitive about the whole thing). Ironically, pre-island flashbacks Juliet was my favorite---I know we were supposed to view her as too 'meek' and sensitive back then and feel like she grew stronger or tougher or something, but honestly, it's only the Juliet we saw in flashbacks who seemed like a genuinely kind, emotional, relatable woman to me. And I know people adored the Sawyer/Juliet pairing and can in theory definitely get how the Sawyer/Kate pairing represented the restless, impulsive, unhealthily passionate and unstable selves both Sawyer and Kate were meant to leave in the past while Juliet supposedly gave Sawyer the stability and maturity he needed to be a happier and better man. (And, to digress for just a second, I guess we're supposed to think Jack gave perpetual runaway Kate roots and security too, but the writers kind of made a mess of that as well!) The problem is that Sawyer/Juliet felt sort of rushed and forced to me. I have an admitted bias against the 'opposites attract/people who have absolutely nothing in common are clearly meant to be!' trope that's so popular in fiction, and I just don't see Juliet and Sawyer connecting on any level. Not that I can say who Juliet WOULD connect with, because, again, she was kind of a cipher at times and the writing and acting combined to keep me from feeling like she was a real person. Whenever I rewatch I actually feel like the widely despised Kate was a (however slightly!) better defined and developed character than the vastly more popular Juliet, and the actress actually made Kate a little more likable for me as well. But, yeah, the writing of Lost's female characters is near the very top of my 'worsts' list---as are the vast majority of the show's romantic relationships and the fact that the show ended up (unintentionally?!) sending the message that SO much of (nearly all of?!) what makes us happy, fulfilled and even human comes down specifically to romantic love and hooking up with that one soulmate a la Noah's Ark :)

1. Luke and Lorelai's dance. 2. Luke finding the last twelve eggs for Kirk. 3. Luke comforting Lorelai during her breakdown. 5. Brian and Zach putting a shelf aside for Lane at their new apartment. 8. Jess thanks Luke for everything he's done for him. 17. Sleeping with the zucchini....Dragonfly staff bonding. 7 and 36 are our latest casualties, and the next round is open. We're down to voting against just ONE!

Morality Bites (I'm not sure if this one counts, but Phoebe is a murderer in this one, so I thought maybe we should include it...?!) Pardon My Past (Phoebe is transported to the 1920s in the manor where she is to kill Prue and Piper.) Sin Fransisco (We could argue that they weren't technically evil here, but they WERE turned into beings totally driven by sin, so maybe we can count it! Long Live the Queen (Phoebe is Queen of the Underworld) Y Tu Mummy Tambien Centennial Charmed (Cole throws everyone into an alternate reality where Paige never existed.) Hell Hath and Siren Song are history, and we're down to voting against just one!

I'll go with Hell Hath and Siren Song as well :)

1. Luke and Lorelai's dance. 2. Luke finding the last twelve eggs for Kirk. 3. Luke comforting Lorelai during her breakdown. 5. Brian and Zach putting a shelf aside for Lane at their new apartment. 7. Luke bringing flowers for Lorelai at the test run. 8. Jess thanks Luke for everything he's done for him. 17. Sleeping with the zucchini....Dragonfly staff bonding. 36. When Lane sneaks back in her house to kiss her mom goodnight. 4 and 32 are history, and the next round is open! We're still voting against two. I don't really love any that are left---maybe in my next life I'll find Luke-centric moments more awww-worthy!---so I'll leave the voting to those who care about these scenes unless we need a tiebreaker :)

Bettername2come, I have mostly opposite opinions from you---I enjoy evil Cole of S4 and even insane obsessive Cole of S5 quite a lot, don't care about Victor Benett or the girls' relationships with him, was mostly disappointed in the Piper/Leo relationship, don't like S2 and S6 much compared to my love for S3, S4, S5 and S1, feel later Piper was a lot harder to like and relate to than earlier Piper, etc.----but I'm definitely with you on loving the time travel episodes! They always tend to be among my favorites :)

Morality Bites (I'm not sure if this one counts, but Phoebe is a murderer in this one, so I thought maybe we should include it...?!) Pardon My Past (Phoebe is transported to the 1920s in the manor where she is to kill Prue and Piper.) Sin Fransisco (We could argue that they weren't technically evil here, but they WERE turned into beings totally driven by sin, so maybe we can count it! Hell Hath No Fury (Piper becomes a Fury.) Long Live the Queen (Phoebe is Queen of the Underworld) Siren Song (Phoebe and Cole fall under the spell of the Siren.) Y Tu Mummy Tambien (I've seen this one a few times but can't recall for sure if they act evil while possessed by the spirit...?!) Centennial Charmed (Cole throws everyone into an alternate reality where Paige never existed.) Wendigo and Bite Me are history, and the next round is open! We're still voting against two :)

I'll go against Wendigo and Hell Hath :)

Wendigo (Piper is attacked by the Wendigo, a hairy beast, and turns into one.) Morality Bites (I'm not sure if this one counts, but Phoebe is a murderer in this one, so I thought maybe we should include it...?!) Pardon My Past (Phoebe is transported to the 1920s in the manor where she is to kill Prue and Piper.) Sin Fransisco (We could argue that they weren't technically evil here, but they WERE turned into beings totally driven by sin, so maybe we can count it! Hell Hath No Fury (Piper becomes a Fury.) Bite Me (Paige becomes a vampire.) Long Live the Queen (Phoebe is Queen of the Underworld) Siren Song (Phoebe and Cole fall under the spell of the Siren.) Y Tu Mummy Tambien (I've seen this one a few times but can't recall for sure if they act evil while possessed by the spirit...?!) Centennial Charmed (Cole throws everyone into an alternate reality where Paige never existed.) House Call and Witches in Tights have been vanquished, and the next round is open! We're still voting against two :)

My votes: 5 and 9 (HMC is great in 5, but it's just not an episode I really enjoy rewatching!)

1. Luke and Lorelai's dance. 2. Luke finding the last twelve eggs for Kirk. 3. Luke comforting Lorelai during her breakdown. 4. Luke giving Lorelai a loan for the inn. 5. Brian and Zach putting a shelf aside for Lane at their new apartment. 7. Luke bringing flowers for Lorelai at the test run. 8. Jess thanks Luke for everything he's done for him. 17. Sleeping with the zucchini....Dragonfly staff bonding. 32. Richard agreeing that Trix's ashes won't go on the mantle. (The Reigning Lorelai) 36. When Lane sneaks back in her house to kiss her mom goodnight. I'll vote against 9 and 35 as well, and those two are now eliminated. The next round is open, and we're still voting against two! My votes: 1 and 7

Voting against two!!! Thanks so much for the help :)