Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

Check Sanity

Member
  • Posts

    100
  • Joined

Posts posted by Check Sanity

  1. 9 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

    Again, I don't like John, but he's right. The government gave him the shield, clearly without doing any vetting to see if he was capable of being more than a propaganda device, and before that they gave him medals for doing God knows what. They only stripped him of the mantle because of the embarrassment factor, and now he's walking around lying to people about what really happened. I thought Lamar's sister looked a bit suspicious of him when he was talking to the parent,s but I could be misreading it.

    The sister absolutely didn't believe Walker at all. And as someone else pointed out, there is probably video floating around of the Flag Smasher saying it wasn't him, and if anyone from Lemar's family may be aware of that it's his younger sister. There was a bit of "why did he die and you survive" in her look as he was saying he'd always be there for them too.

    8 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

    I still have no idea what is going on with Sharon. I think she is playing some kind of long game. 

    Zemo escaped, but only to see the memorial at his destroyed homeland. His last scene with Bucky was great, and a very classy way for him to exit the show (for now?), still not a good guy but a person with a sense of nobility in his way. So glad that Bucky turned him into the Dora Milaje who are taking him to The Raft, which will hopefully be harder for him to escape from. It also seems like he is on better terms with them again, the exchange where Ayo said that he should avoid Wakanda for a bit but then also called him White Wolf and still did him a favor seemed to say that they were still upset, but they would get over it, they wont be mad at him forever. 

    People have said that Sharon is playing the Fury playbook of getting other people to do certain dirty work, which definitely is long game style. I've seen some theories referring to Sharon being part of 

    Spoiler

    one of the all female elite spy/fight teams from the comics. I've seen Daughter's of Liberty or Femme Force suggested, though with this episode's Countess cameo, some form of the latter may be more likely. Either way, I'm interested in seeing a team up of that sort. Endgame fumbled the ball hard in that department, I'd like to see Marvel do it right.

    Also, "still not a good guy but a person with a sense of nobility in his way". I should hope so... he is a Baron afterall. ;) (Sorry, couldn't help myself). 

    5 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

    I would add that while John Walker is allowed to lose his shit as much as he likes, Captain America isn't. As light as the shield may be, the responsibilities that come with it are heavy. Steve knew that, and Sam knows it. John being ill-prepared and a bad fit for the mantle isn't really anyone's fault, and he should never have been offered the role to begin with, but the fact that he's probably never really had to work for anything means he's also ill-prepared for failure, and he lacks the humility to know when he should stand down, as was proven in this episode. If he's nothing without the shield, he shouldn't have it.

    Walker has worked hard. What Walker hasn't done is fail, let alone fail repeatedly (unlike Same who even says this episode that he know's he won't always win and accepts that). 
    Walker has no understanding of mercy. He unfortunately only knows entitlement and the lies of "the great white hope", which are just as dangerous for people of colour as it is for white people, shown on full display in the character John Walker.

    5 hours ago, mac123x said:

    My immediate reaction was "Teddy Kennedy wearing a neck brace".  I thought the arm in a sling was for show to the press/congress, but he was still wearing it at Lemar's family's house.  

    That was so random.  I thought it was a hook for season 2.  Hopefully she's NOT the Power Broker, because (as I mentioned last week) introducing your main villain with 20 pages left to go in the novel is bad writing.

    The sling does the same at Lemar's family's house as it did with the senators, makes people sympathetic. Also, I'm not sure why everyone is under the impression that Walker would heal that quick. He doesn't have the same serum as Steve or Bucky. He also doesn't have the "I can do this all day" thing, plus he's full of self-pity.  

    The Power Broker's presence has been there all season, they weren't just introduced this episode. Even with a reveal of who it is, it still wouldn't be introducing the villain in the last 20 pages, they've been influencing things since episode 1. Still, I also don't think they're the main villain. Karli and the Flag Smashers have become that.

    4 hours ago, SeanC said:

    The strengths of this episode solidified one of my main critique of this series, specifically, that on the whole there is too little America in a series that is notionally all about what it means to be Captain America. Because the scenes like Sam's meeting with Isaiah are, to me, what the whole show should be about. But instead we spend huge amounts of time running around generic Eastern/Central European locations and Madripoor (not that there aren't things to explore about the meaning of being Captain America abroad, but the plot doesn't really do much of that).

    The GRC also feels ill-suited to this story because it seems to be some sort of international governmental institution but this should be a story about how Sam relates to the US government/society, specifically.

    My issue with this view I have is that it doesn't take into count the US' position as a world leader. That country IRL and in the MCU has a lot of power on the global stage. Captain America was born out of World War II. The role of Captain America is as a leader, it's one of diplomacy, and propaganda. Captain America in the US government's mind, is an example of what America wants to present to the world as their ideal, a showcase of the country's values. 

    The whole thing with the GRC is that they are trying to put back boarders and separate things to how they were pre Blip. Who do you think spearheaded that and gets the most out of that coming to fruition? The US government. Why? Because they had the most power.  Sam points out in the second episode "the people with the resources" are the ones who don't want revolutionaries, he points this out when Walker and Lemar state that their job is to keep things stable for the GRC. The only other country that has a patriotic superhero/symbol is Wakanda. 

    5 hours ago, moonorchid said:

    In some ways, sam has the same naïveté as Steve, I like how he’s not cynical, but he always thinks there’s justice to be had, and for Isaiah Bradley, that ship has sailed. He’s valid in how he feels about the shield. Sam isn’t jilted enough to see a possible bigger picture. He knows what it’ll mean for the next generation to see him hold that shield. I’m glad Sam came to the decision in his own time. 

    I will admit to falling more on the Sam and Steve side of the scale of hope. It's definitely something that is perhaps afforded more to people who have more time (aka relatively younger), and those who haven't been beaten down personally so many times. Isaiah had his time and has very legit reasons for his cynicism. Bucky is technically older, but he has more time left than Isaiah to live and make changes in his life. He also is possibly infected with some of the same hope due to his proximity to others who think that way (Steve and Sam). 

    4 minutes ago, dwmarch said:

    Interesting to see that in order to be Captain America one does not necessarily have to have super-soldier serum. You just need to work out a lot. Not sure how that would work against powered opponents though. Humans are squishy.

    I think a big part of this show and the role of Captain America is in being a good leader, not so much being super powered. Though now with a suit from Wakanda, plus Sam's Falcon flying skills he's got more going for him "power" wise then. Iron man, War Machine, Ant man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, etc are all humans that are not super powered yet have faced the big 3.  
    Besides, Sam has Bucky and/or Torres to be by his side.

    • Love 8
  2. 3 minutes ago, mac123x said:

    Wow, what an episode of conveniences bordering on contrivances.

    1. Zemo happens to be wealthy and able to fly them where ever they need to go.
    2. Zemo knows who to start with in Madripoor despite having spent several years in prison.
    3. Sharon happens to be in Madripoor and happens to be in the area to save their asses when things go south.
    4. Zemo again happens to have a place to go in Riga.
    5. Bucky happens to see the Wakandaball lying on the ground and knows to follow the breadcrumb trail.

    Also, no inhabited city in Southeast Asia would have an empty highway for them to drive in on, no matter what time of day.   Should have been wall-to-wall traffic on their way into Lowtown.

     

    Zemo made comments that made it clear he still has awareness of things going on outside his cell. The fact that he still has access to staff and those who are loyal to him isn't surprising is it?  Especially with him being a proper Baron, same for him have multiple properties.
    What's weird is that all the multiple gov agencies that would probably be tracking his stuff haven't stepped in yet. Except Wakanda now.

    Sharon having business in Madripoor was convenient, but even Zemo pointed out they seemed to have a guardian angel. The show wasn't being sly about it.

    Bucky is always staring off, but it also makes sense that he's keenly scanning his surroundings (as he was trained to do). Plus he knew someone from Wakanda would show up at some point, he was waiting and looking for their presence. The mention of him being the White Wolf was perhaps not just a throw away callback line last episode.

    • Love 4
  3. 4 hours ago, RedElf said:

    Same with the Flagsmashers and the thugs in Madripoor.

    All of the diversity makes sense. During the blip people came together and created new alliances (as mentioned in the first episode by War Machine and later by the Flagsmashers of what it was like). People went where they could try to thrive, and certain minded types from all over would have been interested or already been in Madripoor's lifestyle. 

    Even the commercial being diverse makes sense because this was a worldwide (universe wide) changing event. Even with that commercial seems like it was aimed at an American audience, it's not surprising it'd be made to be diverse. Especially if politicians in America in this story are trying to force the American exceptionalism thing, part of that is it's mixed population. 

    3 hours ago, Kromm said:

    They're pretending otherwise for some reason. And by "they" I mean the MCU.  It's bizarre. I mean I get that you can't get the actor to be available... but still. 

    I will say that in universe, everyone OTHER than The Avengers and Bucky might think he's dead.  Maybe. 

    43 minutes ago, Starry-Eyed said:

    It genuinely confuses me. Is it possible that Old Man Steve died off-screen shortly after Endgame?

    I figured it's likely they're going with pretending Steve is dead. Though it is possible he's died by now. Though as we saw with Isaiah, the strength is there, and considering Steve's serum type, it's not like he'd die from being sick. 

    3 hours ago, Cerulean said:

    Well, we know that it’s been at least six months of storage plus whatever time it took to gather and store those supplies in a warehouse. 

    I don't think that's what that meant. It's been a few months since people came back, but I think the line just meant the goods they had was six months worth that people could live off of. I am wondering about why it was being stockpiled though. 
     

     

    I was surprised they weren't paying closer attention to Zemo around Nagel considering Zemo's history with the old Winter Soldier program.

    For sure Zemo had to have noticed that he was on Bucky's other list. Them working together can't last long, I was surprised to see it seems like it lasted through this episode to make it to the next. Also, wouldn't Bucky be on Zemo's list? Plus now Zemo knows about Isaiah which isn't good.

    It was certainly made to look to the audience that Sharon killed Selby. However it's likely Selby was shot because she had knowledge about the super soldier serum and spilled some, but not all the info. 

    • Useful 1
    • Love 3
  4.  

    11 hours ago, lawrbk said:

    Yes I am aware these things happen. And way too much. That’s what I said. But I didn’t want to write a lengthy paragraph to get to the main point. I felt it seemed forced and didn’t flow organically. It seemed the police had to come, narratively, to arrest Bucky to lead to everything else and so let’s add another aspect to show how sam is disrespected despite being an Avenger. Which we got in the bank. And that it took focus away from Isaiah’s story that they were arguing about on the street. Because his story is a LOT more and who knows if they’ll get back to him though I think, and hope, they will. Especially because Carl Lumbly hit it out of the park. But there’s a finite amount of time. And the street scene it still felt forced and too long. Sorry. Maybe if they’d rolled up and said to Bucky ‘is this guy bothering you?’ and started but then got the info to pick Bucky up. But it’s jMO on the scene not real world events. 

    8 hours ago, Dani said:

    They didn’t say “is this guy bothering you” immediately but, for me, the scene played out exactly that way narratively. They saw a black man and a white man in a heated conversation pulled up and immediately focused on Sam. 

    The show is fundamentally about race and what it is like to be black in the world today. That’s not something you show with one scene. Does racism ever flow organically in real life? There nothing organic about looking at a person and immediately being suspicious because of their skin color. It is forced and deliberate. 

    Dani has a point. The literal exchange:

    Cop1: Hey
    Sam: What's up, man?
    Cop2: Is there a problem here?
    Sam: No, we're just talking. Bucky: We're fine.
    Cop1: Can I see your ID?
    Sam: I don't have ID. Why? Bucky: Man, seriously?
    Cop1: Ok, sir just calm down. (As he puts his one hand out toward Sam and the other on his holster.) <--- * Not that long.

    *That right there. They saw an upset black man and immediately thought "danger" and pulled over. Sam expresses minor annoyance and they see "angry black man". Which only adds to the Isaiah story, a black super soldier? Of course more than HYDRA was scared of a black powerful man. No wonder he's hiding and has his son or grandson blocking access to him. 
    Narratively, Bucky was likely going to be around Sam when he got arrested, just because of how much he was dogging Sam about taking up the shield. The fact that it happened during a messed up racially biased stop, could seem coincidental but not that out there.

    While the scene at the bank last episode was partially racial, it wasn't just that. It was also about banks not being there to help people, especially those with financial issues (no matter what the reason). It was about Sam not having caught up with how much has changed in the 5 years he didn't exist. Both scenes in each episode also show how much access to privilege Sam has compared to the average black man, because of who he is and knows (which also would be be increased if he took the Captain America mantle by the way). Sam knew he didn't have to give the cops his ID, but also refused. Whereas a lot of black people would try to get through the stop as quick as possible and not show anger in front of the police. (I say as a Black woman).

    Marvel does a good job of having scenes have multiple layers, this show is no exception. 

     

    13 hours ago, Ailianna said:

    Or, in my head canon, when Fury found out is when Isaiah was released. Not much Fury could do but let him be, but I like to think he tried to give Isaiah what peace he could.

    12 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

    Isiah would have been released before Fury was in a position to find out about him.  He was still in the rank and file back in the 90s in Captain Marvel.  

    We still don't know when Isaiah's 30 year jail term was or the exact excuse for it, nor if it was under SHIELD, the military, or another organization. I do hope we get more of his story in this series, but I'd also love for him to get his own series. Which considering his son/grandson's ties to another Marvel story, could happen. Maybe. *fingers crossed*
    I do think we'll see him again before this series is done though, this is like showing a gun in Act 1. Next two episodes are Act 2, last two are Act 3, is my guess.

    • Love 6
  5. 13 hours ago, lawrbk said:

    I felt the scene with the cops was a little forced. I know it happens but it just felt wedged in to me. Usually the ‘stop for id for no reason’ comes when blacks are someplace ‘they don’t belong’ ie white neighborhoods. Unless they think Sam was harassing Bucky the white dude. But it rang hollow to me. 

    You know it happens but...? Certain "problem areas" (aka poorer and larger minority populated areas) have a bigger police presence, which is how these small interactions happen more frequently. You can see the cop car parked and they only turn and come up the street as the two are talking and walking in the middle of/crossing the street a little too long. Even that is enough of a reason for some cops. But as someone else pointed out, Bucky says a few times Sam isn't bothering him and them assuming he was harassing Bucky is precisely why they got out of the car.

    12 hours ago, LJones41 said:

    So … what went wrong for me?  One, how on earth was Bucky allowed to join Sam’s mission in Germany without anyone bothering to stop or reject him?  I found the idea of Bucky forcing himself into Sam’s mission without the latter’s permission made him look like a privileged jackass.  I also found his behavior annoying and implausible.

    Following the failure of the Munich, Germany mission, Sam and Bucky refused to work with the new Captain America and Battlestar, with Sam declaring them both as “free agents”.  Why did Sam call himself a “free agent”, when his job as a contractor for the U.S. Air Force was established int he previous episode, (1.01) “New World Order”?  And why did Sam fail to report to the Air Force, following the failure of his mission?

    I realized many had automatically expressed hostility at Walker and Hoskins as the new Captain America and Battlestar.  I … did not.  Both Sam and Bucky had behaved like jerks when Walker tried to recruit the pair for his team.  Sam and Bucky’s negative behavior led both Walker and Hoskins to respond with jerkish behavior of their own.  Walker also managed to force Sam and Bucky to attend a session with the latter’s Dr. Christina Raynor; yet he could not force them to join his team in their search for the Flag-Smashers?  What was that about?  I found this contradictory.  And what was the point of that session with Dr. Raynor in the first place?  So that Sam and Bucky could finally establish their issues with each other?  That scenario could have been accomplished without that ridiculous therapy session and those even more ridiculous jokes.  

    The episode ended with Bucky suggesting that he and Sam seek out an interview with the imprisoned Helmut Zemo from “CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR” in order to seek information on the Flag-Smashers.  After the events in Germany and Bucky’s arrest in Baltimore, I am curious to see how they will be to accomplish an interview with Zemo

    4 hours ago, LJones41 said:

    Both Sam and Bucky behaved liked a-holes to Walker and Hoskins.  And Bucky, especially, behaved like an a-hole to Sam. Watching him insert himself into Sam’s mission without the latter’s consent really irritated me.  What an arrogant prick!   The only people like, right now, are the Flag-Smashers.


    Bucky didn't really force himself onto the mission. Sam willingly shared what he was about to do. Why wouldn't he want back up from someone who's dealt with "the big three" before? Sam seemed to rather enjoy having someone to jab at several times. They respect each other, they bicker more than actually argue. They have a shorthand with each other, similar but different to what Sam has with his sister.

    They are "free agents" in that they don't answer to any specific organization. Sam has his contracts, and Bucky has his helpful "tips and such" from crossing undeserving people he gave power to off his list. 

    Sam and Bucky "behaved like jerks" or behaved like people who were grieving a loss? Walker and Hoskins tracked Falcon via Redwing, which was jerky before they even met the other two. Walker relegated Bucky and Sam to being Steve's wingmen and wanted them as his (primarily to legitimize himself). Walker was disrespectful in terms of experience and priorities. Sam listened to Walker despite the Redwing thing, up until Walker disrespected him a second time.

    The point of the session was to get Bucky to open up more with what's been bothering him. Also, as the therapist pointed out in the previous session, Bucky needs to not be alone. She saw an opportunity, likely saw they would be working together (based on the pieces of Cosplay Cap pulling strings and telling both Bucky and Sam he's be waiting outside), and did what she could to facilitate communication between the two. She also has a job regarding Bucky's mental health for him and keeping track of it for the gov. 

    Bucky fought with the Avengers in Endgame and was pardoned by the president. Also, people already knew a bit about his history and friendship with Steve Rogers and saw how far Steve went to stick up for Bucky. I don't think it's a stretch to think that as far as the public knows, he may not have that negative of a reputation. Also, with The Falcon being an Avenger, it's likely easier to achieve. However, just because they said they were going to do something, doesn't mean it's going to come easy to them next episode.
     

    12 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

    No, Isaiah was jailed and immediately came to HYDRA's attention. HYDRA was SHIELD. There's zero chance SHIELD was not involved in the super soldier program.

    I think some of the other responses to this may have some credence. Either way, thinking that Fury probably knows about this is a bit of a bummer. Though *when* he found out, hopefully, was long after the fact.

    12 hours ago, bethy said:

    Overall, I like the episode. But there were missing beats and weird connections that made it seem to me like they had a bunch of scenes they wanted to include, but weren't all that concerned about how they held together or even logically flowed. While I enjoyed the therapy scene because of the Sam and Bucky interaction, how they got there didn't make much sense to me. Given  the last thing we'd heard about Sam from the therapist - that Bucky had been ignoring his texts - why would she suddenly include Sam in Bucky's therapy session and treat them like friends or partners who needed couples therapy?  

    See above about the therapist seeing an opportunity and making a quick read of the situation.
     

    8 hours ago, Emily Thrace said:

    Yeah I actually really like that they are addressing that. The MCU has tried to be apolitical but I guess since this isn't relying on box office receipts from most of the planet they can afford to be a little controversial and tell a more specifically American story.

    It is bugging me a little that Bucky is shown as being completely clueless about American race relations. He fought with a black man for most of WW2 and he grew up Irish in Brooklyn in the 20s and 30s he would have at least witnessed some of what Sam has dealt with. Not that I'm comparing the old "No dogs or Irish" style discrimination to what Sam has lived through they are completely different experiences but Bucky probably should understand a bit better than the show has given him credit for at this point. Bucky isn't Walker the embodiment of white privilege it would be a nice shade of gray to add to this story. Not too mention something that helps underline how far the world has come. Bucky is not some alien who got dropped on Earth it shouldn't be a mystery to him why Sam feels like less than. 

    Someone mentioned it early in the thread, but Bucky's main thing is Steve's wishes and Steve's legacy. It's because of that Bucky has a bit of tunnel vision. It may look like he's not recognizing race relations, but he is responding from a very raw emotional place which is rarely rational. 


    I find it amusing that Bucky allows Sam to call him Buck earlier in the hangar, but doesn't when he's annoyed with Sam on the plane. It's like he's revoked Sam's use of it as punishment. Such a little petulant sibling-like thing to do. The fact that Bucky still has these childish moments despite what he's been through is a nice relief. I hope we get to see Isaiah get to experience a moment like that, his scene and story was heartbreakingly heavy. 

    • Love 7
  6. On 2/27/2021 at 1:01 PM, Jenniferbug said:

    I liked this. I've never seen the source material so this was all new to me. I wouldn't rate it as amazing or anything, but it was a fun and interesting enough binge watch. I'll watch a second season for sure. 

    Bloom was kind of annoying and is not my favorite character, but I don't hate her. Stella was kind of bland. I wish the show had been 8 or 10 episodes to give some characters more breathing room. I'm not sure why they all like and accept Stella so much, I don't know why Dane is so loyal to Bellatrix, etc. 

    Speaking of Bellatrix, I'm not sure what her whole deal is.

      Hide contents

    Why was she at Aster Dell as a baby/child? Why was she raised by Endreas but Bloom was dumped in the human world? Maybe it's that I don't understand what Rosalind is hoping to accomplish. She knows the Burned Ones were once fairies (I think? Or humans?) But wasn't on a mission to save them. But also seemed to have some control or leadership over them? All so she can get the school back for...reasons? I'm a little lost there. Also really bummed she killed Farah who I liked a lot. Probably too much to hope they'll somehow bring her back. 

     

    I believe Terra and Stella have known each other a while and Stella wasn't always playing the "I blinded my bff" act. I think Musa and Aisha were rather indifferent towards her until she showed up to help Bloom. Dane claims it's because Bellatrix takes him as he is and "didn't cut him off after one mistake". It's kind of trash reasoning in terms of trying to put blame on Terra, but makes sense for a naive new kid who is just trying to fit in and whose only guidance on how to do so has come from Riven.
     

    Spoiler

    The theory options are that A) Bellatrix is a blood witch herself, and she was raised by Andreas so that Rosalind could have a blood witch in her pocket, or B) Bellatrix was also a kidnapped fairy but didn't have anything or anyone after her. 

    The Burned Ones were human, soldiers from an ancient (1000 years) war. The power used against them and that created them, legend says (according to Rosalind) was Dragon Flame, which is the same primal magic that Bloom has. Bloom having that magic made her a target to the Burned Ones, so they could destroy her before she destroyed them. Rosalind put Bloom in the human world because there are no Burned Ones there. She claims to have put Bloom with parents who would love her on purpose. This, presumably, because positive emotions are better for controlling one's magic. However, it also had the dual purpose of curbing Bloom from hating Rosalind, the person who put her with them.

    Rosalind had no power over the Burned Ones, she just brought down the barrier around the school to allow them to attack Bloom, as a way of testing Bloom's powers.

    Rosalind getting back control of the school, means that she gets control of the new generation to build an army for whatever bigger event she believes is coming (that has to do with the "f*ck ton" of other Burned Ones that are still out there). Also, to have influence over Bloom whose magic is important to defeating the Burned Ones.

    I, myself, and I think most people are with you in feeling the loss of Farah so soon. Though I think she really is dead. People cite her eyes glowing as a reason to think she used magic and didn't die. However, Riven and Dane's eyes also glowed when they first met Rosalind, which I think was her using her magic to read them. Farah's eyes glowing, I think was because Rosalind took control of her to break her neck. 

     

    • Love 4
  7. 5 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

    But then what's the difference between the superheroes and the villains? In fact Wanda is the villain of Westview, not Agatha. I understand that she has suffered enormous grief and loss, and that's basically been her whole life, but she held people hostage for months and used them to do her bidding.

    I will say I got quite emotional over this episode, and I do feel for Wanda, but yes...they do hate you, Wanda. She created this mess and then just gets to walk away from it.

    Has it been months? I thought it was only a few weeks, maybe max a month? Not that that erases any of the trauma. 

    Difference is that heros try and do save a number of people and aren't only causing harm. They often will choose to sacrifice for the benefit of others. Even in real life people aren't just good or just bad (ex, say a car accident where someone dies, the aggrieved family may think of the other as at fault, their personal "villain", but the other driver was just overworked and tired and made a mistake, not necessarily a bad person). 

    • Love 3
  8. 4 hours ago, swanpride said:

    The hype aside, I think there were a lot of things in the finale which just didn't really feel like they fell into place perfectly. There was the way the townspeople acted...it didn't make sense that they were all running away without fetching their kids first (and I know, that was most likely due to budget restrains, but still), it didn't make sense how they were all standing around staring at Wanda in the end (at this point I would be either busy looking after my children, running away from Wanda screaming or trying to attack her in anger, none of this felt natural), the way Darcy just vanished, Monica's mini-role, the whole Vision vs Vision fight (I liked that it was solved by talking but not the fighting beforehand)...somehow all of this was clunky.

    And I also can't really get behind the fact that after a season which was basically Wanda's trauma tango, we end with piling EVEN MORE trauma onto her, and she being AGAIN utterly alone to deal with it. After everything which happened I wanted someone at Wanda's side to help her. I mean, it is nice that Monica understands, but that doesn't change the fact that she isn't with Wanda to help her. And Wanda needs help, desperately. Her trauma isn't just gone because she confronted it, she still has a lot of healing to do. Never mind the new trauma of losing her f... children. Just...give her a break, please?

    First, while the townspeople were angry at Wanda, they also know she's powerful and fear her. There's no way they would attack her. Also, it's possible they ran away when she said, but once things cleared they came back because of their children and the fact that that's their home. 

    Second, I believe it's as @Chaos Theory said, this whole process was her cathartically going through the stages of grief. She was the source of the *extra* trauma of losing her children, though they're not really gone it seems. 
    Someone else mentioned Wanda likely getting that help from Dr Strange and I think that may be the case too. 

    3 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

    Now I expected this all to end very badly for Wanda and her to lose her family but she had time to heal and she had time to actually say goodbye to them this time so even though I cried alot I found it all very sweet and cathartic instead of just plain sad.   

    Even though Wanda is still alone she is able to process it now.   I think before she was alone with no one.  Now at least she has friends.  Jimmy, Monica, Darcy.    She is processing her hurt.  Its a start.

    This is exactly what I enjoyed and think was the point of this show. The cathartic release of dealing with the stages of grief. 

    Wanda didn't meet Jimmy or Darcy. She only knows Monica is empathetic to her plight. 

    3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

    Hah, Paul Bettany really was likely referring to the Vision/White Vision face-off when he was talking about working opposite of someone he has always wanted to "all his life."  You sly dog!

    Vision vs. White Vision was fun, but it's almost fitting that it ends not with punching, but a psychological discussion.  And now it looks like White Vision has the original Vision's memories, which I'm sure is a way to keep him (and Paul Bettany) around in the MCU some more.  I do wonder where he went off to though?  Does he need time to process all of this?  Is he still not emotionally invested in Wanda (yet) and that's why he didn't come back to her?

    My understanding of that scene was that he has all of the data an memories but that doesn't mean he suddenly has feelings. That may be what he needs to process and figure out. 

    2 hours ago, SeanC said:

    Wanda didn’t intentionally start the Hex over the town, but it’s unambiguous that she continued it even though she knew what it meant.  We see that numerous times.

    There certainly are characters who have done terrible stuff in the MCU and faced limited consequences for it (see: Loki), but dramatically that also hinges on where the creators choose to place emphasis.  The show spent far too much time on the victims of the Hex to just dismiss it the way they do at the end.

    She didn't really know what it meant though. She only learned when they confronted her that they were force to feel *her pain* and *her grief*, that she had put that all on others rather than dealing with it herself. They had their own pain of being separated from their loved ones, but the overwhelming pain they seemed to have been referring to was Wanda's. 

    • Love 7
  9. 2 hours ago, Snapdragon said:

    I feel like Lana is going to turn out to be in on whatever Morgan Edge is up to.  She's just giving me really shady vibes and it seems like she's trying to re-direct Lois every time Edge's actions being suspect comes up.  As for her daughter, I can buy that Sarah would be dating a jerk but make excuses for his behavior because in reality, the majority of high school relationships are just drama.  

    It could be Kyle that's in and Lana knows about it. Last episode it came off super unprofessional that Kyle knew anything about Martha's *bank account dealings*. Though it's also weird that they seem to communicate so much for a couple that doesn't seem close based on what their daughters have said. 

    I'm curious how much the show is going to make Lana and Kyle make desperate bad decisions and flesh out their characters vs make them  active and conscious of their part in making things worse for Smallville. I can see there being a social issue element in terms of a small percentage of winners and the majority of the town losing. This is already proven to be the case with regards to Morgan Edge owning the bank. Edge is already in control of Lana's purse. Lana only recently learned about Edge owning her bank, but I think it will become significant later in what decisions she makes.

    • Love 1
  10. On 2/27/2021 at 2:48 PM, Caseysgirl said:

    So it’s been a long time since I was a teenager, but is this what the kids are doing these days at parties?  No parental supervision;; alcohol and drugs rampant even on school grounds; lapdances; girl on girl make outs - I’m not a prude and I know this is TV but is this actually what 15 year olds are up to these days?

     

    On 2/27/2021 at 6:23 PM, kieyra said:

    For me, the booze and drugs were happening, but from my perspective any significant teen sex was happening offstage. Way offstage. Couldn’t tell you why. A lot of us (for example) took acid for Senior Night at Disney, but I can’t recall any (for example) pregnancies, major scandals, love triangles, sex happening at house parties, etc. Some people were paired off and mostly stayed paired off through high school, but that was it. Any romance in my life was strictly occurring onscreen in John Hughes films. 🙂

    (The EZ access to drugs may have been because this was south Florida during the Miami Vice days.)


    From my own experiences and talking with friends that didn't go to my high school, and my brother who went to a different school; alcohol, drugs, no parental supervision, sex, and random fights are all common in high school to varying degrees. Depends on how kids clique up what they'll be exposed to, but it'll happen. Kids have older siblings, or parents that are "cool" or European and don't care to share or give teens space. Or parents that at absentee/workaholics that leave homes empty often. Some kids look older than people assume based on how puberty hit them (ex, my 16 yr old 6'10 male friend got me a bottle of red wine for my 17th birthday and my brother a ). Teens lie about where they are, where they're going, and/or sneak out/into places. 

    All that to say, teens are complex and hormonal pre-adults who sometime look, try to act, or are treated like adults too early and this show unsurprisingly gets that. I say unsurprisingly, because Degrassi got that and there is no way that show isn't an influence to the writers and actors. I can feel and see the Canadian influence all over this show (beyond casting).

    • Useful 2
    • Love 4
  11. 15 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

    So, did they just go to the Degrassi IMDb page to cast this lol?

    Ha! I find it funny that most of this thread is about how Canadian the cast is. For as long as Degrassi was on TV, the majority of actors coming out of Toronto and the surrounding area will have likely been in it. It's the same way that if one watches a couple or more shows filmed in Vancouver you may start recognizing extras and sets. As soon as I recognized two Canadian cast (but not main) members in the trailer I knew this had to have been filmed in Canada. It's a legal requirement that a certain percentage of the cast/crew have to be citizens. 

    I really enjoyed the pilot. I find it amusing that Sara Waisglass is playing a fraternal twin again. I briefly got confused that Hunter was the friend and not the brother. 

    I know Georgia played off setting up Austin's dad as a joke, but I don't think it was and that seems like a silly slip up to make. I think this  because of everything we saw Georgia do. However, the fact that her lawyer is the same old biker man from the flashback and he said something about "helping [their] own" makes me think she got in deep with that biker gang/crew. More than just with Ginny's father. She seems to have a crew for certain cons. 

    • Love 2
  12. 23 hours ago, Kasienka said:

    Still wish we actually saw them bonding. But hopefully 2nd season will improve on weaknesses of this one. I think it'll should be longer, so we get more of all these characters, I mean it's a pretty big cast and only 6 episodes?

    I do hope Riven will get his redemption and as for Beatrix, after watching Vampire Diaries I think anything could happen;)

     

    Yeah, though I did like that we at least got to see them spending their lunches together, and sitting together during classes and assemblies. 

    Season 2 is supposed to be 8 episodes so that gives a bit more space for breathing room. I do like more condensed seasons because the storytelling is tighter, but 6 episodes was super tight. However, I  believe the second season is  supposed to have more characters, so it'll be interesting how they manage the new relationships/friendships. I think we're going to have to accept that the girls did a bunch of bonding at Bloom's and are close friends from here on.
     

    • Useful 2
    • Love 1
  13. On 1/29/2021 at 9:51 PM, blugirlami21 said:

    I couldn't get past the first episode. I hate Bloom. She's so stupid. It's your first day at a magic school. You make no effort to learn anything, you're rude, arrogant and impatient from jump. 

    I didn't understand her relationship with her mom. They were talking to each other very stiltedly like they were strangers. And the insults were so over the top. Who yells at their child for not going out to socialize? She talks to her mom like she's a stepmom. It didn't make any sense.

    You're in a new environment but you decide to go out beyond the barrier of the school to the forest to practice your fire magic, the worst place for it and you now know that magic is controlled by emotions and you have zero control over yours. What did you think was going to happen?

    I'm so disappointed. It doesn't seem like Bloom gets any better either so I think I'm out.

     

    It seems like a lot of the issue with Bloom is the fact that she's a certain type of teenager. My brother was the same way, despite repeat attempts from our dad and myself for him to get a lay of the land before jumping in when first starting high school (at a boarding school). Unlike my brother, I think with Bloom it was more her insecurity at looking lost and impatience of not knowing about a fundamental part of herself that propelled her to do the things she did. Based on the amount of annoyance I see regarding Aisha online, it seems like most teens these days still relate more to the teen that doesn't consider the possible consequences. 

    As @Diapason Untuned states in the quote below, my mom also pushed me to go out and do stuff. Even to the point of signing me up and forcing me to join sports teams (soccer, swimming, dance), music lessons, and language lessons. Mostly based on trying to get me out of my shy shell, rather than considering my interests. 

    On 2/1/2021 at 11:33 AM, Diapason Untuned said:

    You'd be surprised. My mom used to do the same to me, insisting I go out and do stuff that she considered fun when I was perfectly happy enjoying myself in my room. That's why I sympathized with Bloom at first, though that evaporated after her behaviour got more and more erratic.

    Others have mentioned, but Aisha was also super odd. One minute she's obsessing over Bloom's life, the next she's acting like she doesn't care. Just bizarre.

    Bloom got more erratic due to her world and all that she'd known to be "true" being completely ripped out from under her. It's pretty common for kids who find out they're adopted later in life to freak out. Add in fire magic, and a possible (but like actual) conspiracy to keep it a secret, nothing she did seemed out of character to me.

    As for Aisha, I understood it as her trying to make friends and then when she wasn't doing well in school (aka not being successful at a particular type of magic control), she withdrew inwards. She was still there for Bloom, working as the assistant (not her idea). I think it's interesting people are so upset with her for making boundaries and sticking to them. It's not like they were surprising boundaries. She's one for staying under the radar except with regard to school or swimming. She's the type that likes to excel and aims for self perfection. I think it'll be interesting to watch her be challenged with the fact that adults are humans who make mistakes, and that sometimes she's going to fail or be bad at something (which we got a bit of, but I want to see more). 

    On 1/31/2021 at 2:02 AM, Blue Plastic said:

    I haven't seen the original source material.  It's kinda weird for a story that's basically a mean girls/Twilight hybrid set in a Hogwarts style boarding school to be called something as whimsical sounding as "Winx."

    I could do without the sexual capers and romantic triangles that seem to be getting set up at the beginning.  It's like I'm watching Gray's Anatomy Junior Edition.  I'm more interested in the friendships and the magic aspects.  If it's going to be all romance, all the time, I'm not interested.  I'm only on the third episode and not sure how far I'm going to continue if at all.  But I won't watch a show that's ostensibly about magic but is really just about high school rivalries with an occasional magic trick shown in the background.

    Also not sure about the whole school aspect.  What have the students who grew up in fairy families been doing up until now?  Are there magic schools for younger students that Bloom just missed out on?  It almost would have been better to make it a university and everyone's a freshman or sophomore.  Calling Bloom's cohort "first years" is way Harry Potter and doesn't make sense if they're really just in high school, although Bloom's a bit old to be a freshman.  What are they learning anyway?  Is there any typical instruction or everything is magic classes?  (This is a thought I've had with Harry Potter also.)

    Did you end up continuing? Magic is a pretty big part of it. The whimsical title of the show makes sense for a show about faeries, though maybe not this kinda more grounded take on it. 
    I think that grounding is also the explanation for the social media. Also, it's less expensive than the CGI required for magical equivalents of it. It's why they have cars too. 
    My understanding of how the school is that it's a college. The faeries are strengthening their powers for a purpose, for combat. Just as the Specialists are being trained for hand to hand combat. In the real world people are able to do programs that start in grade 10 (sophomore? 15/16 years old) of interning one semester and classes another, if they know what trade they want to pursue (ex, mechanic, carpentry, plumbing). There are also countries that have college start at 17 for specialized schooling for certain jobs. I have friends in Mexico that did this to become a dentist and a psychologist, in Germany a friend worked in radio. 

    On 2/12/2021 at 10:55 AM, Kasienka said:
      Hide contents
    Spoiler

    The girls became besties to easily. In the beginning they were slowly showing us the dynamics between them , but then suddenly we get a speedrun to best friends forever and it felt very unnatural , especially in Stella's case. Same can be said for Bloom and Headmistress who mostly argue with each other , but then I'm supposed to believe they have some special mentor/student relationship like Harry/Dumbledore? Not buying it.  And then there's Beatrix and Dane. They smoke blunt one time and that was supposed to show me she was the only one to see and accept the real him? It felt like they just cut some scenes. And did anyone found it weird that Riven couldn't wrap his head around Dane sexuality? Bisexual people exist, and yet he seem to think you are either straight or gay. And they have tumblr in this world😋

     

    That's just going to be a nitpick, but it kinda break the worldbuilding for me. Why all these people use earth social media? Isn't our wolrd the one with weak conection to magic and other realms? I get they wanted it to appeal to today's demographic , but wouldn't it be more believable if all these worlds had their own sites? I half expected them to mock Bloom for using Insta and showing her some Solarian apps or whatever. It's just so weird to me to see all this people who are not from Earth talking about Tumblr and posting they pics on Instagram:)

    I mean, they lived together as roommates. As much as we didn't see them in their room much, there's a lot of bonding that happens after hours in a dorm. They stuck together at lunch too. It's unfortunate they didn't show

    Spoiler

    Stella being open and vulnerable more than Musa,

     but we can guess since they were all in a group chat whenever "danger" reared its head, and they seemed to share most things eventually, that the rest got filled in. 
    Every time Bloom confronted Farah, Bloom got information, and then she learned where Farah's loyalties were, which were good. I don't think they're Harry/Dumbledore close though (even though that was a... misleading relationship. I'd argue Bloom and Farah have a healthier one.) 
    Beatrix and Dane was a weird sell for sure. 
    I've seen someone describe Riven as the "toxic masculinity trope we don't like to see", which I agree with. However, he's also a teen and a product of his environment which we don't know too much about yet. He's the character that likely will have the biggest character growth and redemption arc.

    Spoiler

    I'd be surprised if they try to redeem Beatrix, considering she actually flippantly murdered someone.

     

    • Love 2
  14. On 2/12/2021 at 6:14 PM, icemiser69 said:

    You mean in case there was a catastrophe?🐈

    I was thinking there would be more of an issue with possible health code violations.

     

    On 2/13/2021 at 3:05 AM, PinkRibbons said:

    I'm guessing there's a standard waver her customers sign before they're let in (which again, is part of Crumbs and Whisker's MO, although usually you sign it online before making an appointment). Hopefully they have an anteroom with a second set of doors so the cats can't get out, that's where you'd wait to sign before coming in.


    As far as I know, it seems to depend on local laws and health codes. I know of cat cafe's where the cats are separated from where people eat. Some where it's in the same room but you aren't to encourage the cats to play while you're eating. One place I knew of kind of ignored the whole "cafe" aspect and had kitchy cat things your could buy, but it was primarily about hanging out with and adopting out the cats. I've also been to a cat cafe that had both food and pastries/light lunch options (salad, soup, sandwiches) and kitties in the same room. I have yet to be to a cat cafe that had kittens, it's always adults of varying ages. There's one in Montreal that has a handful of permanent cats, and a rotating roster of adoptable cats. The cafe gives suggested times to come by based on how much interaction people want (ex, earlier for play, afternoons for chilling and maybe cuddles--it's up to the cats).

    I enjoyed this episode, even though I got bad 2nd hand embarrassment from the ice cream shop scene. I full on LOLed and cackled at Phil's description of giving his momma insulin. I think he's my favourite character. I like that they're showing different pairings of the cast as friends outside of Kat. I forgot about Tara, though it makes sense she and the mother get along best. I'm curious how they'd interact alone with the other characters. I'm surprised we haven't really seen Phil and Kat's mom interact much considering they're closer in age. Not that it automatically means they should be friends, just that they may relate in different ways than they do with those younger than them.

    • Love 1
  15. 12 hours ago, ctlady said:

    And for the love of Pete, can they stop dressing her in mis-matched clothes?  That outfit she wore for the interview - including the red sneakers - was just awful and kind of immature for an almost 40-year old.  That dress she wore in the opening scene was very pretty.

     

    Her shoes were magenta/fuschia and blue, not red, they matched her skirt. I recall noting how matchy matchy it was upon first viewing, I them double checked before responding here. Personally, I think converse are ageless. Example, Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama are mid 50s and wear converse. Still, Kat's style is a reflection of her doing what makes her happy and is in character. 

    I didn't watch Miranda, however when I heard about this show I looked up a few scenes. Though I love Tom Ellis, the slapstick awkward humour was more second-hand-embarrassment cringe than funny to me. Happily, I haven't experienced too much cringe from this show. The only time I cringe is every time I read someone commenting on Swoosie Kurtz' body, it feels so gauche and gross to speculate like that.

    I like how sweet the show is and diverse-age, sexuality, race, gender. It's not hitting every checkmark but it is showing something relatively different from other current sitcoms. I think the premise of the show was reflected quite well with Phil's story time scene, with the kids and everyone including extras that were in that scene. I think the show is meant to be escapism, which I'm all for. 

    • Love 8
  16. 29 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

    The doctor was aggressive first?  The doctor was defending himself from a house-breaker who was also a 7 ft alien.  With a fireplace poker. 

    Haha I know. AlienHarry would have killed him either way considering his goal to kill the entire human population. Also because the doctor saw his true form. I will admit I was thinking a bit more in terms of the movie Arrival, where it questions human's tendency is to answer "other" with fear and violence first rather than say, attempt communication. 
    I wonder how much watching Law & Order (and other tv shows) has informed AlienHarry's conscious--because he goes back to help Asta--and how much that was him. 

    • Love 1
  17. 23 hours ago, dwmarch said:

    I loved it although part of the affinity comes from the fact that this was filmed in the town I grew up in. Downtown Ladysmith, BC has some beautiful heritage buildings and has appeared in a few big productions before. There was one scene where I could tell they were filming right on First Avenue but they made it look like a side street which was weird. Then again there is only about three blocks worth of buildings in that particular style so they have do some weird angles to make less look like more. It was fun to look for places I have seen around town. The exterior of the kid's house was familiar, I'm pretty sure that one is on the north end of First Ave.

    The cops beatboxing was absurd but hilarious. I like the quirky humor.

    The autopsy scene was a little more graphic than necessary so here's hoping scenes like that are few and far between. 

    Was Eureka! also filmed there? It did feel familiar. 

    I loved the beatboxing Amazing Grace scene! 

    I didn't find it more graphic than the cold opens of Bones, or maybe that show just got me used to it. If I didn't know the "blood" was likely died corn syrup that may have made me queazy. My mind was in humour mode though, which makes it easy to get over graphic stuff for some reason. 

    13 hours ago, cdnalor said:

    It bugs me that the alien physically changed his form to human but somehow the kid can "see" his true form.  If the alien's human appearance was a projection or mind control, I could accept it but this way it doesn't make sense.

    That's one of the mysteries that's got me curious. Why do even 1 in 1 million humans have the genetic mutation to be able to see through that alien species "molecular reconstruction'? Also some how he still retains his above human levels of strength? Plus the editing of the mirror bar dancing scene... is he able to see his true form always or was that just a cool director thing added for effect?

    1 hour ago, WaltersHair said:

    I found this by accident. Enjoyed immensely except for the aforementioned killing of the original doctor. 

    The doctor was aggressive first. Not that it means he should have been killed. However, as a matter of "him or me", if the doctor had the strength it would probably be the other way around. 

    2 hours ago, WaltersHair said:

     I hope the kid makes it and I'm giving the mayor the side eye. Too white, too nice, too perfect. Ted Bundy all the way.

    I agree with @Amethyst that the kid will befriend him. 

    The mayor is off, but I don't think he's the poisoner. He was too eager for AlienHarry to do an autopsy. Speaking of, is the brain thing normal? Not the squishing, or excitement and joy which made me laugh. But if checking the brain is part of it, why did Asta leave before it was done? It's just a minor thing but still. 

    Also, since when do general doctors give therapy sessions? 

    Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the pilot, I've been missing a quirky, funny hour long show. 

    • Love 1
  18. On 2/2/2019 at 2:01 PM, ketose said:

     I'm still waiting for Landon to have a power or something since human characters aren't long for the VD universe.

     

    Except for Alaric and Matt. Also, having powers don't actually mean a character will live, there have been just as many supernatural characters that have died in the VD universe, if not more since there were more characters* with powers on all the shows then there were humans (*as in characters that we got to know). 

    I don't think I'll mind either way if he has powers or not. Though it'd be cool if he becomes more like Alaric, in that he knows about supernatural things and protects them in his own way. It would make sense too because they're the ones who finally have adopted him and protected him. 

    What I'm confused about is Hope's insistence that Landon's mom is dead. She's in Malivore again, she was there before and came back, she could possibly come back. Also, her protecting Landon from feeling the pain of losing a mother (who he doesn't know or now remember) is not going to at all feel like the kind of loss she experienced when losing her parents. It would suck to know he likely won't see her (again) but you don't really miss what you never knew. 

    • Love 1
  19. 21 hours ago, ursula said:

    It's not abnormal, it's OOC to the established backstory.

    Again, OOC. Because we've already seen Hope being extraordinarily close to her extended family while a student in the school with a magical embargo on their proximity to boot. So it's not so much a personal preference for me as a despair at the lack of consistency/continuity. In addition, I liked The Originals!Hope and I was interested in seeing her story continue. (An unpopular opinion at the time, by the way). Legacies!Hope is so different that she might as well be a different character in a different story played by the same actor.

    11

    Is it though? She lost her parental figures, she was close to her extended family, but that's not the same thing. Alaric sees her every day, unlike her extended family. Also from a production standpoint, they're not going to emphasize characters that aren't on the show. It *is* strange that she seems to be more of a priority to Alaric than the twins at times, but the show isn't ignoring it, it's been acknowledged as a problem. 

    * The rest of my post responding to most everything else was eaten by the computer somehow and I'm too pissed by that to try to redo it so I'm just going to wait until this weeks episode to continue the conversation. Cheers til then.

  20. I wasn't talking about that part of the sentence, I was pointing at this part:

    On 12/6/2018 at 11:03 PM, ursula said:

     the twins have a deeper, more unexplored mytharc to tap into and they're more central characters as Alaric's and Caroline's children.

     
    1 hour ago, ursula said:

    Tropes are not inherently good or bad. Obviously, they are tropes for a reason and they can be subverted in interesting ways e.g. the immortal/human dynamic is usually a male/female dynamic. Having Hope play a traditionally masculine role would have been intriguing. 

    And the mystery surrounding Landon? All I see is another unicorn character when the show is already struggling with Hope. 

     

    Agreed, and the suggestions you've mentioned, I think would be cool to see. However, I also like what we are seeing.


    As for Landon being a unicorn, sure. But so is Hope, and so are the twins (as the last of their coven). So are the creatures of the week. In an environment where there are a bunch of unicorns, they end kind of all end up on an even playing field. They may not be the same type of Chosen One, but there are still aspects of being one that could help bond them.


    As I noted, I'm all for more unique creatures or more "unicorns". For a few reasons but especially because I think there's an interesting thing the show is doing in regards to exploring friends becoming family. This episode had Raf confronting Hope's idea of family. Which I was so happy about after last episode showed so many of the kids not understanding how Raf and Landon are family. Or in the case of Josie, missing the fact that she considers the school family and they're not blood.

    That's the other element that comes in to play here, the setting is a boarding school. Except for the twins, no one's parents are around, so it doesn't matter if they're orphans or not, other students easily become family (I say this from experience of having gone to boarding school).

    By the way, Hope's bonding with Alaric is not abnormal. Kids who have dealt with grown-up things tend to gravitate towards adults because their peers can't relate. Also, people in boarding school tend to form stronger bonds with those in their immediate surrounding. Hope even went to Emma this episode to gush about her crush on Landon. Sure phones exist and visits home happen, but there is a strange "visitor" dynamic that happens when one goes away to school. Hope not being so close to her extended family when most of her time isn't spent with them isn't weird or a mischaracterization by the writers. It's pretty spot on. (I understand you don't like that they took this route. )

    Where I think there has been some awkwardness with the writing is deciding whether this show is an ensemble or has a lead. This episode it felt more like an ensemble show. 

    • Love 3
  21. 4 hours ago, ursula said:

    You mean like the concept of magic schools... supernatural teenagers... special orphan chosen ones.... quests.... magic swords.... ad nauseum. 🤣 

     

    🤣Alaric and Dorian would like to have a word with you. 

     

    On 12/6/2018 at 11:03 PM, ursula said:

    I think so, too. I wish the show was more like this, honestly. While Hope has the Lonely Orphan Girl (from a Large Extended Family of half-immortals) that ostensibly makes her the Chosen One, the twins have a deeper, more unexplored mytharc to tap into and they're more central characters as Alaric's and Caroline's children.

    And Landon is just... 🙄 The show should have stuck to its original concept and made him a normal human with the drama of Hope fraternising with the forbidden townies.

    1

    I did ask upthread if Dorian was for sure confirmed as human. Alaric, while currently human, has not lead a life where he was only human, so he's a weird exception. Especially since he's the headmaster of the school. 

    I was snarking at the fact that one sentence wants the show to go with unexplored mytharc, and the very next wants more of the same. I'd have been fine with whatever, it's entertaining. Still, I do like a bit of mystery so I'm glad they went with Landon being something more and unknown. Plus so far the show has been killing off all its weekly folklore creatures, and I'd like for some of them to still exist in future seasons. With the rate they're going, I'm finding it hard to see the sustainability of the show's format as is. Plus it's not really expanding the world if they just keep killing off all the new creatures.

    • Love 1
  22. On 12/6/2018 at 11:03 PM, ursula said:

    I think so, too. I wish the show was more like this, honestly. While Hope has the Lonely Orphan Girl (from a Large Extended Family of half-immortals) that ostensibly makes her the Chosen One, the twins have a deeper, more unexplored mytharc to tap into and they're more central characters as Alaric's and Caroline's children.

    And Landon is just... 🙄 The show should have stuck to its original concept and made him a normal human with the drama of Hope fraternising with the forbidden townies.

    1

    As if that concept hasn't been told a million times before... I'm kind of glad they twisted things, especially after Matt on TVD and the way they kind of trapped themselves storytelling wise there. Plus it makes more sense for this show to not have human core characters (yet).

    On 12/6/2018 at 11:30 PM, ursula said:

    I am really hoping that they have MG "grow out" of his crush on Lizzie and move on. He actually vibes well with Penelope. They have a snarky banter that is entertaining. The Pilot established him and Josie as BFFs, but I haven't seen much of it since then. That's also another ship I could get on board with. 

    Just realized that I'm exclusively shipping him with girls, but is it canon that he's straight?

     

    After MG and Penelope were caught feeding/kissing, that put a strain on his friendship with the twins. 
    So far yes he's straight. Also considering his confusion about Penelope flirting with him, he seemed unaware that one could be bi, pan, etc. While he could prove to not be straight, it's unlikely.

    On 12/7/2018 at 10:44 AM, Lady Calypso said:

    I 100% see Lizzie falling for him at some point. Why? Because that's how it tends to go with teenage TV dramas. Boy has unrequited crush and chases girl until she gives in. It's so rare for this type of show to have the unrequited crush JUST stay an unrequited crush. I'd rather MG/Lizzie be friends. I'm annoyed at the trope. I think that's my overall problem with MG/Lizzie; it's so tropey and it's one that I've never liked because it's so rarely done well. See: the obligatory "romantic wooing" scene with MG and Lizzie in this episode. He goes all out for her, which....I guess bugs me as a viewer. And I know that him knowing what she liked was supposed to be the real romantic gesture, but...I was ticked off more than endeared by MG. 

    5

    I think I'd like to see a missed timing unrequited love type story that ends with them being friends. 

    On 12/6/2018 at 11:40 PM, Josie means Love said:

    I was loving the show in the beginning, but the last two episodes seem illogical to me. You set up something in the previous episode and then you completely ruin it in the next, without even mentioning some of the things or taking them under consideration. Rafael being honest to Lizzie this episode was the 2nd best thing that happened, the other being Jo, just for the nostalgic vibes. 

    Everyone knows that I didn't like their brief romance at the end of last episode so I'm glad he cleared it up and by the looks of it, his girlfriend (probably another zombie) is being brought back next episode, which is certainly going to develop his character even further. 

    Basically, that's what I don't like about the show - Penelope acts all bitchy during the first couple of episodes, then she suddenly starts caring about Josie and then even kisses her. That's messed up dude, she's supposed to have dumped her and broken her heart, what the hell. Rafael lost his girlfriend, expressed interest in Josie, he was hurt by Josie's decision to let Landon go and then slept with her sister, just because he "was angry"?!

    Pretty much - I hated Raf last episode, I liked him this episode. I loved Penelope last episode, I hated her this episode. And they're just the example I'm giving, they're not the only ones. The show's constantly changing and it's pretty messed up, Julie doesn't seem to care about what she's setting up the previous episode and then ruining it in the next one. I really, really, really hope Posie doesn't go through, it just doesn't feel right at the moment. 

    On 12/7/2018 at 12:01 AM, ursula said:

    Yes, I definitely think the show wants me to prefer Josie which is typical Plec-verse contradictory nonsense because on the one hand, Lizzie is self-absorbed and Josie feels inferior. But on the other hand, it's Josie, not Lizzie, that once used dark magic and attacked her ex. And it's Lizzie, not Josie, that got humiliated by the Mystic Falls thugs and rose above it, and even volunteered to save the girl that had bullied her in the previous episodes. 

    So I do get that the writers are telling me (through Penelope, etc) that Lizzie is bad and Josie is her victim  ---- but at the same time, they're doing a really bad job of showing this.

    Have you two considered you're trying to force the characters into tropes and the writers are trying to show the characters as multifaceted, contradictory, flawed teenagers on purpose?

    @Josie means Love They're not going to unveil everything about a character all in one episode. Just because someone breaks up with another person does not mean they weren't hurt themselves. As I said in last episode's thread, Raf is just reacting to his immediate present. This episode he finally started to reconcile with his grief, it's been 6 weeks since his gf died. Despite showing some interest in Josie, his grief is way more present and significant at this point. 
    @ursula I don't think they're trying to show Lizzie as "bad", she's self-absorbed but not uncaring. Her issue was pointed out this episode via Jo. Lizzie doesn't really open up and show her heart (except to her family) and in doing so keeps everyone else at a distance. I don't think the show is trying to make people pick and choose between the twins at all. Viewers do that on their own as is.

    The twins overall arc seems like it's going to be tied to the merge problem that looms in their future. Likely for them to defeat that will require a balance between the two. However, they have different personal arcs and issues to overcome. They're both at their core good, so we should be liking both, it's just people (audience) gravitate towards people/characters based on their own biases.

    I'll give that the writers and actors may not be hitting the mark perfectly, but the contradictions pointed out aren't unreasonable to me.

    On 12/7/2018 at 10:18 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

    Who was in the car with Dorian with he was on the phone with Alaric telling him that he took the knife? It was really dark on my screen so I couldn't tell who it was.

     

    It was Emma. 

    Do we know what Dorian is, if anything? He can hold his own and we've seen him teach, but I don't think he was doing the magic himself in that scene. 

     

    6 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

    Arrrgh... What was that?  Every episode I was cooling out watching my show then bam.. Some bizarre version of a classic starts taking me all out of my zone

    Heh The Safety Dance song is the one that got me. As in I suddenly clued into the song lyrics and then was completely taken out of the scene of Raf and Hope becoming friends.

    • Love 3
  23. 8 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

    Mona's subplot seemed kind of random, but I'm guessing it and the character in general will have a big part to play later on.  

    1
    3 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

    I'll admit that I'm still unsure about Mona. She's kind of separated from the main cast right now, even with her subplot with Ava/Nora last episode, so I need to see her interact with the Legends soon (unless she did this episode and I missed it). I'm not feeling her or her romance with Caveman Werewolf Guy. I don't think Mona is needed on this show, in all honesty. However, I do trust this show more than anything else so I'm hoping Mona will be expanded on soon.

     

     

    See, the moment Ava introduced Mona to the werewolf (before introducing her to Nora), and his shy reaction to her I knew that there was going to be something between them. Plus the way Mona was encouraging Nora and Ray, she clearly is the type that wouldn't hold back. Especially after Nate seemingly gave her that huge opening that he'd have her back because everyone should have love.  @Lady Calypso Mona interacted with one of the Project Hades guys, Gary, and Nate this episode. 
    Once the timeline is fixed, either Mona is going to succumb to her wounds or she's going to tell someone about the kidnapping and abuse of the magical creatures. Either ways she's going to be the key to the Legends catching on about Project Hades. Whether she's "needed"? I suppose Nate could have caught on, but there are offscreen reasons why he wouldn't. Character-wise Gary is like Ava in being to by the book to go exploring things during off hours to come across anything. I suppose Nora could be one way it got out, but I imagine Project Hades is only dealing with creatures that can't spill secrets. 

    I think Mona's been fun and helpful in representing a different type of female character. The show is doing a pretty great job in showing diverse types of brave women.  She's been helpful with fleshing out characters that need it (while at the same time being fleshed out herself). Hopefully, she doesn't die so that Gary can get that treatment too and we can see even more sides of her.

     

    Mark me as another who is a bit more curious about the Legends episode than Etherworlds. From what I can tell, next weeks episode of Legends will have more of a lasting effect than the Etherworlds episodes for the other shows, that may have something to do with it. Although, Legends has been my perfect escapist upbeat break from real life so there's that too. 

    • Love 4
  24. 45 minutes ago, Nidratime said:

    Does anyone have any idea why they changed the name of the Native American medicine woman from Nayawenne (in the book) to Adawehi? Seems an unnecessary change. 

    30 minutes ago, Atlanta said:

    Could it be that Nayawenne is a Tuscarora name and Adawehi is a Cherokee one? In one of the post show interviews, Maril and Matt said they changed the tribe to the Cherokee since there was more historical info regarding language, clothing, customs, etc. One thing that bugs me is that in the book, the Native Americans were fine to live quietly adjacent to the settlers. It seemed a 'we won't bother you if you don't bother us' thing and the Fraser/Murray fam was quite friendly with them. As another poster said, I remember the broad strokes of the book, but not necessarily the details.

    I imagine that the ways in which the different tribes interacted with colonizers is in part why some survived and others didn't. The way the Cherokee handled settlers vs the Tuscarora may be what we're seeing. Another reason could just be the visual medium and the need for visual conflict worth watching as opposed to reading whereas internal conflict is more easily portrayed and entertaining. This is purely my speculation though.

    • Love 1
  25. 7 hours ago, Josie means Love said:

    I'm kinda starting to dislike Rafael, to be honest. I liked him initially, but I hated the way he treated Josie in this episode. He ignored her completely because he was being selfish imo. Raf and Lizzie only had like 1 scene together so far in the show, and he told her that he doesn't like girls like her in it. But, despite that, he came running to her when he thought she'd be the witch representative, asking her to vote for Landon to stay. And Lizzie being Lizzie just agreed to help him and even asked him to be her date on her birthday, knowing that he's going to owe her a favor.

     His school files say he has feelings for Hope, and no matter what everyone's saying - he expressed genuine interest in Josie in episode 4, not just the kiss and their whole web thingy. And now, one episode later, he sleeps with her sister. What the hell man, just pick a girl, at least Damon knew exactly who he wanted.

     

    3

    How is trying to look out for Landon (his brother) being selfish? His response to Lizzie's date request  was to ask if she was blackmailing him. Despite the fact that that was essentially what she was doing, he folded because he thought he needed to so for Landon. 

    What is this about school files?

    Despide Raphael's interest in Josie (who has been giving him mixed signals), I don't think he's really looking for a girl. They're interested in him and he's reacting to his immediate environment. Not to say that's the best, just not unreasonable behaviour for an overwhelmed teen.
     

    4 hours ago, ketose said:

    I'm back to being on the Matt side of the equation. 3 kids got killed as a consequence of weird shit at the Salvatore school, not to mention all the girls Kaleb was snacking on. Plus, it doesn't seem like Kaleb is dried out yet. Why can't he perform his completely made up duties on Honor Council from his cell via Skype? Klaus might as well be running that school.

    1

    Except for Kaleb sucking on the necks of cheerleaders, none of those instances were the fault of students at the school. So Matt is right to be concerned about the school, but should be careful of lumping it all together. 

    3 hours ago, Lambsilencer said:

    I always have a problem if a show does not show the direct consequences of bullying. I think it sends a dangerous message if Jed gets to attack Landon like that, and not only does Hope stop Raphael from retaliating (which might be OK because Raphael would probably have killed him, and that's not the answer, either), but there were no consequences shown for Jed for this vicious attack against Landon. If I were Alaric, Jed would have been expelled, no questions asked. Only if the punishment is extremely severe it shows that there is an absolute zero tolerance for any kind of bullying at this school. And it would send the strong message that there are the most severe consequences for that. The message should be that there is no place in this world for you if you go down that road. Too bad the show missed that opportunity.

     

    Jed didn’t “get to attack Landon”. He ran away after the incident. If nothing is mentioned next episode, then it’s a problem. 

    As for zero tolerance… that isn’t reasonable in the real world, never mind this fictional one. I won’t get into the real world element, but in terms of this school… this world where all of the werewolves in it have KILLED someone to become what they are. Zero tolerance isn’t going to be a thing. The vampires in that school were themselves killed and their natural urge is to feed and be emotional. The witches wield a whole lot of power that can be expressed in dangerous ways. Plus their all hormonal/volatile kids. Zero tolerance for violence was never going to be a thing on this show. However, they very much should show consequences. I think they will show them in regards to Raphael now being the alpha (the consequences for fighting be alpha), but I realize that’s not exactly what you meant.

    1 hour ago, Gwen-Stacys said:

    Alaric sucks as a headmaster and needs to check his relationship with Hope a little (even if he did lowkey raise her). We see him talking to her at the end of the episode instead of his own daughters.

    I liked Landon this episode and I'm calling either blonde vamp (he was way too attractive to be a one off!) or Landon's mom as the season's big bad.

    Good job not dying, Dorian.

    Legacies has more black male actors in the first five eps than VAmpire diaries had in all 6 seasons! (Never forgive Elena for Killing Nanceford!)

    2

    Considering she she grew up there for most of her formative years with the brief exception of the few months that took place during The Originals, he high key raised her. 

    I see Hope becoming a teacher there after graduating, because where else is she going to go after? I think she's already halfway there with how much Alaric relies on her for things. 

    It's the CW, everyone is attractive. I'm not sure about Landon's mom being the big bad, but I think she's connected to "it/them".


    Hahaha. I was confused for a second because the end of last episode definitely had a different magical creature, but at least we can see why Dorian is suitable to be one of Alaric's trusted people. 

    Heh, I'm not sure if that's an accurate stat, but I'm just seriously grateful that they haven't felt the need to kill them all. I still don't think they'll all survive the full season, but here's hoping. I'm also liking that there are varied shades of black too. 

     

    *Sorry for two posts in a row, my comp was choking while trying to put it into one so I had to break it up.
     

×
×
  • Create New...