I don't have a life, I have fandoms.

I know I posted about it before, but Robbie Lewis at the end of “The Remorseful Day” is killing me. 

His DCI and friend is in the hospital, and he knows he probably won’t make it and is still trying to do his job and then you see him getting the phone call and his face just falls when he hears it’s about Morse

And then, afterwards, when he already knows Morse is dead but the audience doesn’t, his whole body language screams pain

I mean, the man has arrested a murderer but he’s just done with it all

Look at this

utterly defeated. 

And then he’s listening to a confession - a confession - which will probably also help him greatly to finally be made an Inspector, it’s been established that he passed the test with flying colours but he’s completely uninterested

Couldn’t care less if he tried

Until the murderer says “Morse will understand” and all the grief just bursts out 

They didn’t have to keep the camera rolling on his expression, but they did. Thanks guys. 

And then of course he says goodbye in the morgue, making the last line of an iconic TV show his own

I just - I mean - Damn, Kevin Whately. Damn. 

"They didn’t have to keep the camera rolling on his expression, but they did. Thanks guys."

Apparently that's not even all they did. Apparently there were additional scenes shot with Lewis walking out of the morgue holding back tears, then stopping at a red light, and eventually bursting out crying??? Like, completely breaking down??? But the producers felt those additional scenes were not necessary to get the message across so they were removed from the final cut and like... bless the producers? it's painful enough as it is. I really don't need another breakdown.

reminder that roger allam's dramatic binch disease inadvertently ruined an entire generation of javerts' joints, including philip quast's

overdramatic king!

sorry I had to It would seem that at least one of these things is your own fault, sir.

Michael Ball as Javert in Les Misérables: The Staged Concert

[*]

Thank you WTNV for creating a diverse cast of lgbt characters. Finding such an lgbt casual podcast..or STORY, for that matter, was so bizarre. Usually, shows like to stress that they have gay characters for views and put those characters in homophobic environments for plot and drama. “Hey look at us! We have TWO gay characters!! They’re entire personalities revolve around their sexuality but they’re here so give me progress points!!!”

Welcome To Night Vale never did that with Cecil or Carlos. Or Night Vale for that matter.

And then more characters were simply casually lgbt. Orientations went unmentioned and unknown until the moment they fell in love or talked about recent crushes. When Cecil first admired Carlos I had to rewind again and again to make sure I was hearing correctly. I had to do the same thing when Carlos explained that some of the desert otherworld warriors weren’t either male or female and when pronouns like “They/them” were used for them and Sheriff Sam. Welcome To Night Vale’s character diversity never fails to make me think “Did I hear that correctly?” only to rewind and grin, realizing that I did. Hilariously, it makes me feel stupid when I rewind because I KNOW I heard correctly…I know I rewind over and over again because the part of my mind that is used to hearing incorrectly when I am no longer in the world of Welcome To Night Vale is responsible for my surprise and confusion when lgbt characters are mentioned even though by now I should know I am listening clearing and that I don’t have to rewind.

I don’t have to rewind.

That is such a new concept. To hear correctly when it comes to the lgbt community. To read correctly. To realize “No, I didn’t skip a line.” because I didn’t. To realize “No, I didn’t accidentally fast forward.” because I didn’t. To think “No, this is right. I’m in the right track. I don’t have to rewind. This is right. I heard correctly. I don’t have to rewind because I DID hear correctly.” is both beautiful and heartbreaking to be able to do. It’s overall effect is relieving. It’s joyous. It make me giggle like an idiot.

Thank you Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor for creating a story with diverse characters around every corner and letting me, for 30 minutes twice every month.. finally…break my habit of rewinding.

I know no other fandom that would feature: * a gay protagonist / narrator who is not defined by his sexuality at all * a gay Latino man played by a gay Latino man after the creators decided he shouldn’t be played by a straight white guy * a non-binary person casually referred to with the they/them pronouns (and played by a trans woman!) * a (sometimes hijabi) Muslim lesbian * a pansexual (I think?) shapeshifter aaaaaaaand... It’s all written by Two. Straight. White. Guys.

Like, honestly. You CAN have diversity in your art no matter who you are. But of course most straight white dudes prefer to write about staright white dudes because that’s all they can see.

I got the Director’s notes on episode 121, but I can’t see the episode on Libsyn. 

Is there some link where the episode is up, or is this happening to everyone?

It’s on iTunes, Podbay and Soundcloud :)

Are we expected to feel SORRY for Piscatella?

I don’t think that’s the point? I mean if it is, then it doesn’t work.  The way I see it, they tried to explain what happened to him that he became a fucking psychopath. Like, it was obvious that he was seriously fucked up, that something must have broken him. Of course that doesn’t absolve him of responsibility, he was a monster and he totally deserved what he got in the end. But it’s an illustration of the self-perpetuating circle of violence, in which it is so easy for victims to become perpetrators.