Zuleikha

That makes more sense for Constantine and plot. I think the change could have worked as an opportunity to make the Corinthian meddle more, but as it was, it just seems like a weird choice.

Yes, he killed a guy and did something with his eyes (we were shown the corpse with eyes removed). I know what he did from comics lore. It was also hinted at in his conversation with Ethel, but not clearly established. It is funny to think about the Corinthian without graphics novels knowledge of his character. We know that he's a Nightmare, which implies a lot of not good things. But most of what he's done on screen is go up against Morpheus for his own personal protection/independence. I don't think it was disingenuous or deceitful. Morpheus hadn't shown signs of accepting Alex's overtures of friendship, so there was no relationship to be betrayed. Indeed, Morpheus hadn't said anything to Alex at all. Jessamy's a bird--obviously of more intelligence than a typical bird, but still just a bird (and one who had tried to burn down the house). Also, Alex had no reason to believe that Morpheus wouldn't kill him or otherwise harm him if Jessamy did free Morpheus.

I liked modern day Johanna Constantine a lot. However, I didn't like the twist at the end with Rachel and the sand. I can't remember how much that was or wasn't like the story in the graphic novel, but I don't think Johanna would be so unaware of extremely powerful magical items or so careless with them. That didn't fit the character. I think the show should have had a conversation where Morpheus and Johanna were both shocked that Rachel had been able to open the pouch and access the sand (since Johanna had said earlier that she couldn't open the pouch)... maybe even shown a flashback of the Corinthian opening it for Rachel. Ethel and John were really good, even if Ethel's love for her son blinded her to how stupid she was being. I think one of the hardest part of this series is going to be how little we get to spend with interesting characters.

He was an abused child! Of course, he was afraid. I don't blame him. Morpheus is a terrifying unknown. All Alex wanted was to feel safe that he could let Morpheus free without being murdered or worse. I don't see why Morpheus couldn't have made that bargain. To me, it's a weakness in the show's writing. Alex was offering a win-win, and I don't see why Morpheus wouldn't have seen it that way. I really liked Cain and Abel when they first showed up. But I'm not sold on Cain yet. I remember him as being both more sniveling and more malevolant/resentful. The Fates didn't work for me either. I tried to put my finger on what was off, I can't. I'm wondering if they were supposed to be blind or veiled? Or maybe dressed more distinctively? Somehow they were both too similar and not conjoined enough.

I've been reading good reviews, but I was very disappointed in this episode. It was beautiful, but it didn't give me any reason to care about anyone or anything. It's been ages since I read the original, so maybe that was true to this episode of the graphic novel as well. I felt bad for Alex and annoyed with Morpheus. The bargain Alex wanted to strike was very reasonable as was his shooting of Jessamy (she'd just tried to burn down the house!). I didn't think the show presented a good explanation for why Morpheus wouldn't take the simple bargain, especially since Morpheus had to be concerned about what was happening to dreams/the Dreaming. I also didn't understand Ethel's agenda, if she had one. I had assumed she was a conwoman when she first arrived, but then it seemed like she was sincerely with Roderick and only left him (and stole from him) because of the baby. Roderick's line about Ethel stealing more than that never seemed to pay off. I'm going to give it at least one more episode before giving up, though.

The acting and production values really saved this show, but the writing was horrible. Nothing ever made any sense. I feel for the actress getting social media hate, but Reva was an overly complicated, unnecessary character. I don't understand her motivations, and I don't understand why the show expected me to care about her. I also wish writers would let Vader be a scary, capable villain. Anakin was not an idiot. Darth Vader doesn't need to be one. Why not let the plot be a straightforward thing where Vader sets up the kidnapping of Leia to flush Obi-Wan out of hiding? It's unclear why either Vader or Reva would think Leia's kidnapping would flush Obi-Wan out, but Vader at least knows that Obi-Wan and Bail Organa were close in the pre-Empire days. But I still enjoyed it because the acting was so good. Little Leia alone was worth it, but Ewan Macgregor was obviously amazing. I've always thought Hayden Christensen's prequel performance is underrated (he played the Anakin he was given... it just wasn't the Anakin we wanted. not his fault!). So I'm glad to see him get love here.

I understand what is going with Obi-Wan's mission for Bail even less after this episode than I did before this episode. Why did Obi-Wan and Bail agree to no communication? Why does Bail have a way to communicate with Obi-Wan but not Obi-Wan with Bail? Or could Obi-Wan use the device to communicate with Bail, but just chose not to despite the moments he was on a spaceship in transit and away from any chance the Empire would overhear? The show cannot make me care about Reva or worry about Luke. I have seen the future.

Did I miss or forget about something where Bail Organa said he thought Leia was kidnapped by the Empire? Obi-Wan didn't find Leia in anything that looked like official Empire holding. She was being held in a shady location by a shady looking criminal gang. The Inquisitors were after him, not Leia. Obi-Wan had plenty of time to contact Bail Organa while on the trade route ship and while they were hanging out waiting for the contact. Having a rendezvous point with official Alderaan forces (or even Bail Organa himself) would have been much safer for Leia than hoping the random conman's illegal Underground Railroad people would be able to keep her safe on an Empire-controlled planet. I think it would have been safer for Obi-Wan, too, since Bail can make sure that the Alderaanian forces don't ask too many questions about who Obi-Wan is.

I enjoyed this episode for the acting and characterization, but that was really lazy writing. I don't know how they got through filming the scene of Tala whispering to Obi-Wan at the Imperial station without realizing it looked ridiculous and needed to be changed. Reva had time to put the tracker on Lola, but I don't buy that she actually planned to let Leia go in that moment (or even ever). Her character's mission has been established as being about Kenobi--both in terms of what Vader told her to do and what she's said. The show should have established the Path as a priority earlier if they want me to buy that she would prioritize the Path over Kenobi. The other major writing issue is that Alderaan is an Empire planet, and Leia's parents are Empire Senators. Leia being kidnapped is legitimately a big deal. Obi-Wan is a secret, but Leia is not. So the show needs to explain why Obi-Wan can't contact Bail Organa and arrange a rendevous for Leia... heck, even on that initial planet, why couldn't Obi-Wan get a disguise and hand Leia over to official planetary powers once he rescued her? Maybe the writers have an explanation in their head, but it hasn't been clearly communicated on screen and it's driving me up a wall. Leia is a princess of Alderaan, and there should be resources that the Organas can use to help. Now there's an additional writing complication that we know Leia's allowed to return to Alderaan and gain official diplomatic duties. But Leia has been tied to seditious forces in this episode. So the show unnecessarily wrote something that it's going to have to explain away (although I expect that it won't, and it will simply be a dangling plot hole).

It's not an interactive game show or a mystery. We're all different in what we watch for, but I want to have some idea of the actual story of what really happened. There was plenty of drama without needing to hide Madelyn's genuine love for Colby.

The reunion points out how bad the LiB/Ultimatum production company is at editing shows that let us understand what the f-- is going on with these couples. Madelyn and Colby were so glowy and sweet and who the hell would have guessed that? I feel cheated that we got so little insight into the positive side of that relationship. Madelyn was edited like she hated him and just needed a push to break up with him, but clearly that was not true at all. Jake and April clearly disintegrated, and the editing did not show that well. From the clips they showed at the reunion, it sounded like their 3 weeks together were a nightmare. I actually feel for Jake. It seems like he fell into inertia with April and then had his world shaken when his friendship/proto-relationship with Rae made him realize how poorly things were working with April. I wonder if he and Rae may have actually worked if they'd had more space between their relationships. Hopefully, Jake will learn to be less passive in his life. I felt terrible for Rae. I also feel terrible for Zay. But Zay needs effective therapy to process the damage from his truly terrible childhood, and I think Rae got caught in that crossfire. I'm seeing a lot of confusion about Rae's explosion, but I understand how she felt having him hold her sexual energy against her while he was effectively cheating behind her back. It did seem like he was about to attack her when she melted down on him and cut him off. It sounded like Rae's not with her girlfriend any more, but I hope Rae is able to find a healthier relationship. I also hope Zay does as well. Randall and Madelyn's trial marriage seems like it was more of a friendship with some sexual energy than the emotional entanglement that it was portrayed on the show. Both of them left it confirmed in their choice of original partner and seemingly without any true hesitations about it (but also without real negativity towards each other). I wish the show had been clearer about that.

This is so trashy that it was pretty perfect as a reality show. I do not believe any of the remaining couples should actually get engaged, although I could see Rae and Jake forming viable couple out of this. Maybe Randall and Madlyn could as well... hard to say with all of the editing shenanigans that went on. I feel for Zay, but I think it was good that Rae and Zay broke up. I hope they stay broken up and find new people. Colby is one of the strangest personalities I've ever seen on reality TV. He doesn't seem malicious, but more like he's genuinely existing in a different version of reality than the real reality. Madlyn needs to trust her instincts and run! We didn't see enough of Alexis or Hunter for me to have thoughts on them. I think they're probably real, but that Alexis also really wanted screentime. It was interesting to me that Alexis was willing to do the bachelorette party but Lauren wasn't (unless Lauren/Nate ended things shortly after leaving). I would bet most of Alexis's shit stirring behavior was about making sure she wasn't edited out of the show. I wonder what things would have been like in alternate world where Shanique chose Nate.

Yeah, I'm not a book purist either. I thought most of the changes last season were smart. I expected things to be simplified and side journeys that were moving in the books to be cut (like I wouldn't expect to see Jarre and the PFI). But I do want the show to preserve the main character/plot beats and themes and to tell a good story.

Given that I'm late to watching the season and that this topic has never been used, there's probably not much interest. But I've been so perplexed by the decisions the creative team made this season, and this seems to be the right topic for it. Blood of Elves sets up so much, and the show has thrown it all out. But they haven't just thrown it out--they've done it in ways where it seems impossible to see how the rest of the story can happen. So are they committing to telling an original story? Why did they want to adapt the books then if they didn't want to actually adapt the books? Last season had changes, but it was all logical book vs. TV stuff and in general seemed very close. I've seen claims that not enough happens in Blood of Elves, so the show needed to add stuff, but I don't think that's true. We have training scenes at Kaer Morhen, which should have given us character backstory and joy... the happiness before all the horror that's coming. We get the mysterious foreshadowing from Ceri, the interactions with Triss, and actual training with Nenneke and Yennefer. We're supposed to see Jaskier the guest professor and spy and get our first hints of the "Everyone Sucks Here" approach to politics that the books take. We get hints of Nilfgaard's good side, and the elves as actual threats with the Scoia'tael. Yennefer's initial plot is thin, but I don't think it would be hard to work her in with Tissaia and the Brotherhood politicking instead of what they did (or leave her out for a bit like they did with Jaskier). Fringilla is not a major character, and the show didn't need to invent a plot for her and bump up her screentime. Francesca comes in later and differently. She didn't need to be brought in early and in a way that seems to make the later Lodge of Sorceress stuff impossible. Yennefer certainly didn't need Triss's 14th of the Hill story that doesn't even mean anything for Yennefer. I don't know why the show is destroying Cahir's character given Cahir's significance later in plot. The poor downtrodden elf stuff is less interesting than the cyclical nature of violence, prejudice, and revenge that we see in the books.

I know this is old, but Baba Yaga doesn't feed on people's misery in Eastern European folklore. She's a tester--pass her tests and be rewarded, fail them and be eaten or otherwise punished. I can't think of any stories with her where she's a straight up villain (although that doesn't mean there aren't any). The show is stealing her house with the chicken legs, but it's a cheap reference. Voleith Meir isn't like Baba Yaga at all otherwise. It's also a confusing plotline. I don't think the writers wrote it well. I don't understand why Francesca and Fringilla aren't more concerned about the magic underlying their deal, especially Francesca who came from a position of intense weakness. A single elven baby does not provide good justification for the elves simply abandoning their end of the bargain with Nilfgaard. They have no strength in the relationship, and Nilfgaard has treated them fairly well. Fringilla's breaking point was clear, but everything that led to the breaking point was not. The Nilfgaardians seem to be disciplined and hierarchical. Presumably, Emhyr left a clear chain of command for holding Cintra as well as missions. Either Fringilla had the authority to make the bargain with the elves or she didn't. If she didn't, Cahir is not going to be able to sell any form of trumped up treason + summary execution to Emhyr as an excuse to let Fringilla live. Emhyr is going to think what he thinks about the situation (and how is this even supposed to work? unless Fringilla mind controls Cahir, couldn't he just tell Emhyr the truth and be protected by Emhyr? Fringilla is much less of a threat if she's executed for treason than if she's alive and scheming!) I also don't understand what level of manipulation the Voleith Meir is actually doing. I hate the weakening of Yennefer as well. I already saw helpless and sad Yennefer at the start of last season.

I don't think it's drugs. Shayne and Natalie clearly still have a deep love for each other. Maybe they always will. I know Natalie's interviewed that they're friends, but I think it's painful for them to be around each other, especially when they had to revisit painful parts of their relationship. Natalie's face looked tormented every moment the camera was on her. Shayne is extremely physical in his emotional expression. It is unusual in an adult, but it is consistent with how he has been since the beginning of the show. I think his physical movement is his equivalent of Natalie's facial expression. It's interesting that Natalie is giving interviews all over the place, but I haven't seen anything with Shayne. Likewise Sal vs. Mallory.

The tl;dr from the live is that the ex was unhappy with Sal's decision to do the show and found crew members associated with it to follow on social media. I forget the exact details, but the ex ended up engaging with people in a disruptive enough fashion for it to be something where Sal (or maybe Sal's sister) was asked what the deal was with the person. The actual visit of the ex to the sister's house was a much more upsetting incident than shown. The ex at one point made a comment about her brother having a gun and not being afraid to use it to Sal's sister, who understood this comment to be a veiled threat against Sal.

I also thought it was interesting that the cast shut down Shake so fast for bringing up both Jarrette and Sal's ex-girlfriend. I would actually have liked for Sal and Mallory to have answered about how true/false that was. I don't think Mallory had unresolved feelings for Jarrette--she did pick Sal over him in the first place after all--but I wonder if Sal may had unresolved insecurities. The ex situation was also much more disruptive/scary than the show portrayed, and it's logical that it could have affected Mallory.

I agree. Their love comes across as very real. But I think what Natalie said in the wedding episode is true. Sometimes love is not enough. But it is so, so painful to watch. I think Shayne is probably a fun and generally kind-hearted person. I can see what draws Natalie to him, which I could not understand at all in the first two episodes. But he never learned the tools he needs to for managing his negative emotions. He's more like a toddler who has to physicalize all of the emotions than a typical adult. I think if he found a competent therapist, he could possibly develop the tools he needs to make a relationship with Natalie work, but I think it would be better for Natalie to move on as quickly as she can. I don't think the odds are good that Shayne will get the tools he needs. I am very curious about Sal/Mallory. It feels like their whole story happened off screen, and they don't have enough incentive to reveal it for us. This is the mature, adult way to do things, but of course, it sucks for us as the audience to have so many questions left unanswered. I am very happy for Deepti's growth, but I will always wonder how she could have stayed enthusiastic about Shake for as long as she did.

I hate defending Shake because he's been a complete a-hole on social media, and I judge him very negatively for those actions. But I don't think he's saying anything genuinely controversial in the clip. He's just saying that we don't choose whether or not to be sexually attracted to anyone, and sexual attraction is not simply about finding a person beautiful or not or thinking a person is good/nice/kind. I don't think Shake needing chemistry to exist flies in the face of the show's premise. I think it is the show's premise. Shake seemed to participate in good faith with trying to find an emotional connection and seeing if that emotional connection would be enough.

Yeah, at this point, I think the AMA has to be viewed as false. Too bad. I'll never understand why people bother with hoaxes like that.

Of course, it doesn't preclude her from feeling insulted. No one loves not being desired by someone they want to desire them. But it also is what it is. They got engaged sight unseen, and when it came to the real world, he turned out not to feel sexual attraction to her. That's the risk of the show. Deepti signed up for an experiment in which love may or may not be blind, and in her relationship, it wasn't. Deepti's body image issues are also not Shake's responsibility to fix, nor would it be kind or responsible for him pretend to be sexually attracted to her when he wasn't, even if he were capable of that kind of pretense. I, personally, think it's good that he wasn't capable of the pretense and that he didn't have sex with her when he wasn't attracted to her.

But when did Shake ever say otherwise? He praised Deepti's character to the skies and constantly talked about what a wonderful, amazing person she is. He never blamed her for his lack of attraction or said it was because of who she is. He never even said it was about her appearance being lacking. I'm honestly not sure whether the issue is that he thought her appearance was lacking. The crew member AMA is now unverified and has multiple falsehoods identified. The comments about him mocking her loose skin and larger-than-110-ness now seem as likely to be false as true. He complimented her appearance at both reveal and wedding. The two semi-specific comments he made about the lack of attraction were that she reminded him of his aunt and that he was nervous about ruining the best friendship. For all we know, his issues were that he doesn't know how to connect with a woman physically when he's already connected with her emotionally and intellectually. Or maybe he just has a hella strong attraction to blondness in the way that people can have very specific attractions.

I'm clearly anomalous, but neither of those things seem mean spirited to me. They seem descriptive. What's insulting about reminding someone of their aunt? Or saying that you don't feel an animalistic attraction? It just is what it is. I don't think it's intrinsically shallow because it's about chemistry, not about appearance. Shake also did try to see if the attraction would grow, possibly longer than was good for either him or Deepti. He planned the sensual massage and sushi date. But the attraction simply never developed. Breaking up was the right thing to do, but I don't think Shake wronged Deepti in any way by not being attracted to her or by talking about the relationship honestly. I think her family's whole "we welcomed you into our home" is ridiculous given the whole context of cameras and the show. The show asked the families to meet the prospective spouses; Shake did not independently request to meet Deepti's family as a sign of how serious he was about marrying her. ETA: For clarity's sake, above comments are confined to show only. Shake's post-show social media behavior is increasingly weird and potentially boundary crossing.

Deepti not talking about lack of attraction or questionable attraction with Shake in as many conversations as he did doesn't mean she was fine with it. She did mention being confused and unhappy about the lack of intimacy in talking heads. She did not seem fine with it. She simply had a kinder way of talking about it. For me, I feel like Shake's getting a bad rap from fans and Deepti for his show behavior, but if the crew member AMA is to be believed, he deserves it anyway. I don't think what he actually said (as aired) was bad. He was supposed to talk about the relationship, and it was a big issue that he was not sexually attracted to Deepti. He never called her ugly or even blamed her for it. He generally presented it as a mystery that he was frustrated by. But if he really did say her loose skin should be studied by science or that it was a struggle because he'd never dated anyone over 110? That's pretty bad. It makes me wonder what positive qualities Deepti saw in him to ever consider marrying him.