Our Choices More Than Our Abilities

Review/Recap of Sailor Moon Crystal, "Act 9: Serenity, Princess" - Spoilers!

(yeah, spoilers from twenty-plus years ago...)

One of my favorite things about Sailor Moon is - and always has been - the backstory. What happened before Usagi Tsukino tripped over a cat in her rush to school and subsequently became a superhero. I adore the story of the Silver Millennium - of the Princess of the Moon and her friends, the Sailor Guardians of the Solar System (all princesses in their own right). How the Princess fell in love with the Prince of the Earth Kingdom and war broke out and everything went to hell and back (okay, maybe not the "war breaking out" stuff, but conflict has its place in storytelling). When I finally read the manga, I loved how we got so much more of that story - even in later arcs, there would be flashbacks of what happened in the past and how it applies to what's happening in the present. It's one of the things I enjoy about Once Upon a Time as well - paralleling a fantastical world with modern life.

The episode begins where the last one left off - Tuxedo Mask jumps in front of an attack meant for Sailor Moon and (it appears) he's dead. That act of sacrifice activates these "sealed memories" that Sailor V was talking about last time and everyone remembers the Silver Millennium - when Usagi was Princess Serenity and the Sailor Guardians were protectors of the Moon Kingdom. And - here's the important part - Serenity falls in love with Prince Endymion of the Earth. Which is a huge no-no, since the Moon and the Earth basically hate each other. War breaks out between the two worlds and the Dark Kingdom destroys both kingdoms in the process - but not before the evil forces are sealed away. Everyone dies - but then everyone is reborn in a new and quite ordinary life, with the hope that life will continue, but if the Dark Kingdom resurfaces, the Sailor Guardians can be reawakened to defeat them again.

(that's the Cliffs Notes version - just go watch the episode. It's worth it).

The thing about this first story arc with the Dark Kingdom is how the story is mirrored. Good and wonderful things happen, but then people come in to ruin those good and wonderful things (kind of like trolls on Tumblr - oh snap, I went there!) and tragedy strikes. But here, tragedy strikes and it's awful and terrible and Usagi is heartbroken beyond belief - but she shows how resilient she is and the strongest moment of this episode (which, I don't think this was in the manga or any other version of Sailor Moon that I'm aware of) is when she stands up and says -

I need an applause gif... hang on...

If there is a linchpin of this entire story - and something I wish fandom would focus on more - it's that Usagi is not bound by her past. She is not obligated to hold to the choices she made in her past life or the circumstances in which she finds herself. In fact, that is one of her defining character traits. She is not a victim of her birth or her situation or the bad things that happen to her. Nor is anyone else around her. Look at the people she chooses to make her friends - loners, outsiders, misfits. And none of that matters to her. But it goes beyond that - in her own way, she teaches the people she loves that they don't have to be held prisoner to what life has given them.

And then, when Usagi has been kicked in the head, these same friends come in and help her out. Because that's just what they do. Not because they're all Sailor Guardians or anything like that. Because they're all friends and they're all in this together.

Look, I'm getting ahead of myself. But this episode was just that good. I've enjoyed everything that Sailor Moon Crystal has to offer so far, but I feel like this was a huge turning point. It's a key moment in the plot as a whole and there's a lot riding on this part of the story. Everything here just worked the way it had to. Yeah, it kind of feels like an inbetween episode - a lull between HUGE moments in the story, but this was the perfect place to put it. Especially since they're going to the Moon Kingdom next episode (oh man - I can't wait for more backstory!!)

Other things -

Sailor Mercury got her visor!

Luna's kind of starting to figure out what her role ought to be with Usagi. It helps that they all remember what's really going on and that Minako is the actual leader of the Sailor Guardians. Still, Luna was really hard on Usagi and her recognizing that she needed to do better by her is a huge turning point in Luna's character growth. The original anime didn't do that very often, but it's done beautifully here.

Speaking of Sailor Venus - I talked last time about how I was not a fan of how Minako in the live action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon was characterized. How she was cold and distant and not in any way part of the group she was supposed to be the leader of. But Crystal Minako is so much better. Yes, she takes her leadership responsibilities seriously. But she's also much more caring and compassionate, especially when Usagi is completely melting down over losing Mamoru and the return of these painful memories. It's a huge step in making this team of superheroes - and, more importantly, this group of friends - work together as a team. I love this entire dynamic that's being created here.

Speaking of group dynamics - the Shitennou seem to be getting some valuable group cohesion together as well. I'm eager to see where Crystal takes these guys (not wanting to spoil anything - but I have theories that I think would serve all these characters well).

Stupid rock. It's your fault all this happened.

Anyway - the next episode promises to have a lot more backstory. Stuff that's probably only ever been dealt with properly in fanfic. And all I can say is that it's about damn time.

The Five(ish) Fangirls Podcast Episode #20 - The Promise of a Soldier

This week, we hit the milestone of 20 episodes! ~*~confetti~*~ And with the conclusion of Doctor Who Series 8, there's no better time to discuss the two-part finale, "Dark Water" and "Death in Heaven" as well as Series 8 as a whole. How did the return of [spoiler redacted] hold up and did Peter Capaldi's first full season live up to expectations? Join us as we recap and discuss everything that we can think of (if we haven't died of feels first).

News links and mp3 downloads found at this link.

Split the Ice Apart

Review/Recap of Once Upon a Time 4.07 "The Snow Queen" - Spoilers!

Dear Everyone in Storybrooke -

*deep breath* All right - I'm okay.

No. No, I'm really not.

Okay, so what the crap just happened? Well, the Snow Queen employed proper use of psychological scarring on Emma Swan. But that doesn't excuse that whole scene of Mary Margaret and Baby Baelfire at Disney Princess "Mommy 'n Me" being a "First Time Mom." (I mean - seriously??? Does Dairy Queen have Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty in on her evil schemes or something? GAH!!)

(I know, I know - I'm trying to be a calm and rational reviewer right now. And it's just not working! Let me try talking about flashback stuff -)

So, in the Arendelle of the past, Ingrid and her sisters, Gerda and Helga...

...discover that Ingrid has ice powers and they make a pact that they're going to conceal them because they all love their sister. But that leads to Ingrid being left out of some important things in her sisters' lives. But that doesn't matter because - ~*~sisterly love~*~. Which, I've got three sisters. I get that (more or less, I guess). Still, Ingrid wants her powers gone, even against the wishes of Helga and Gerda. Three guesses where they end up going??

Good gravy, I'm going to smack him.

All roads lead to Rumple, I guess.

So, Rumple gives the sisters the gloves (you know, the gloves) and the urn (you know, the urn) - but he also insinuated that Ingrid didn't need anything more than her sisters' love and their bond and promise to always be there for each other - symbolized by the yellow ribbons the girls wore on their wrists (and the fact that Rumple wants the ribbons is proof that the sisters' love has imbued the ribbons with some form of magic). But Ingrid still gives that up and it's all downhill from there. The Duke of Weasel Town (that's what I'm calling him because he deserves it - even though I laughed my butt off when I saw that they included him in the Arendelle flashbacks. That was just great!) tries to move in on Ingrid and she defends herself with her magic, but Helga (who Weasel Boy is supposed to be engaged to) gets in the way and she dies.

I'm going to talk about Helga's death for a while here. Because that scene more than any in this episode really got to me. Like I said, I've got three younger sisters. All when we were growing up, I often felt like I needed to look out for them and protect them because that's what big sisters do! Except there were more than a few times where they were looking out for me. And there were more than a few times when I did things that hurt them - whether on purpose or accidentally. In fact - there was one time where I broke my sister's collarbone (to be fair, we were all rough-housing and my brother jumped on us and that knocked me into my sister and we both landed kind of funny, so that's how it happened), and I felt terrible about it for days afterward. I mean, she healed up fine and everything was okay eventually, but, you know - the looks that my parents gave me when it happened and then they rushed her off to the hospital... I was left at home to stew in my own guilt and try to forget what had happened and tell myself that it was an accident (hard to do when your sister's in a brace for six weeks).

Back to Arendelle - Helga's dead and Gerda comes upon the scene to find Ingrid completely wrecked by what she's done (Weasel Town conveniently sneaks off to somewhere else - rat bastard). Instead of trying to piece together what's happened, Gerda...

...traps Ingrid in the urn and goes to Grand Pabbie to erase all evidence of Helga and Ingrid and begins her path to Parental Suckitude (even though it's presumably still some years before Elsa is born).

(Gerda, honey, after all this crap you've pulled with your sister and your daughter - there ain't no way you're coming back from this in my eyes. So, deal with it).

Okay - can I talk Storybrooke now??

All right - maybe just some of the happy things. Because there were some.

Things I Liked/Noticed -

- The good ship Outlaw Queen sails on! (HOORAY!!) Weeeeeell... it's not taking on so much water anymore. That's progress! (I hope).

- Will Scarlet, oh how I adore you! (though what happened to Anastasia, I'm kind of scared to find out).

- Henry getting ready for work - "I'm getting married." HENRY, YOU PRECIOUS NUGGET!

- Rumple may still be on my shit list, but a magic potion to make old things new was pretty good. I do enjoy his interactions with Henry. They make me... not quite as mad as I could be at Rumple. He's still on my list, though.

- I don't know if this was deliberate or what, but Hook checking himself out in the mirror. Hot stuff, baby.

- Brighton Sharbino as young Ingrid. Dead ringer for Elizabeth Mitchell. Take a bow, Once casting! (are we sure Brighton isn't her daughter or niece or something?)

Now can I talk Emma and Snow Queen and ULTIMATE HEARTBREAK??

*okay*

DAMMIT QUEENIE WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A BITCH???

Seriously, that whole time - THAT WHOLE TIME - in the sheriff's station made me want to punch somebody! (preferably the Snow Queen, but I'd have taken Rumple in a pinch) Like, how long has Emma Swan gone without people who love her and now she has everything she wanted and YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE HER RUN AWAY FROM THAT??

I really want to know what happened when Ingrid was Emma's foster mother. I'm sure it'll get brought up at some point in a future episode. But there is some nuclear grade shady crap going on there. I mean, if you want someone to be your bestest best sister-friend-thing, how is turning Emma and her current family and friends against her going to accomplish this? (or her against them - whatever).

Of course, SNOW WHITE IS NOT HELPING!! Mama Snow, dear heart - CAN YOU NOT??

So when Emma Swan Fan Club (Charming, Hook, Elsa and - honorary member for this episode - Belle) come running into Rumple's shop because Queenie has frozen the doors of the sheriff's station shut and they need magic to get in. Rumple reluctantly agrees (Belle's puppy-eyes have that effect on him) - except Hook stays behind for a moment to point out that Rumple has been very nonchalant about this whole Snow Queen business, especially considering how many villains have come to Storybrooke with the express purpose of killing the Dark One (presumably, Killian is including himself in that count). Rumple laughs it off, yet I can't shake the feeling that Rumple is getting a bit irritated about perceptive our favorite pirate captain is. Which sets up nicely for something that happens at the end of the episode and (probably) will have major repercussions for next week as well (I'm coming to that).

Back at the sheriff's station, Dairy Queen engineers a complete emotional breakdown for Emma, which makes Emma's magic go berserk and destroys en entire wall of the building just as everyone is coming back to get Emma out. Emma is still freaking out and her magic takes out a light pole, which nearly takes out Hook, who gets shoved out of the way by Charming (oh man, the metas that have been written about that), who gets hurt. Snow rushes over and says Emma's name in that surprised/shocked/disapproving voice (again - NOT HELPING!) and Emma runs off in the yellow bug (not before Hook tries to stop her, but she's too fast or he's not fast enough - regardless, it's painful).

In the midst of all this, Dairy Queen escapes and she later goes to Rumple to make a deal, which I'm sure is full of rainbows and ice cream and purple unicorns (RIGHT?!!) Which sets up this epic two-hour episode they have planned for next week. Which, I'm just gonna go ahead and make a pretty bold prediction of what it's going to entail -

Just a hunch, mind you. But I'm fairly confident in my assessment.



Emma's boys to the rescue. Which will not end well, I'm certain.

(if I'm this keyed-up after this week, what's next week going to be like?)

This is How You Character Development

Review/Recap of Doctor Who, Series 8, Episode 12 "Death in Heaven" - Spoilers!

*My subject line is fine. It's a play on a popular tag on Tumblr wherein a post talks about character development and how a show or movie or whatever does that without being overbearing because that's the fan/analyst's job. Also, Tumblr isn't very good at grammar usually. It's a social convention. Anyway...*

Finale time! And, yes, Missy is indeed the Master. And she ended up killing a crapton of people (including Osgood. Like - WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR???) And the Doctor became President of the human race (eh, it's not like he'd do any worse a job than anyone else we could think of right now). And Clara became the Doctor. And she's so good at lying that even the opening credits believed her (that threw me for a loop). And the dead all became Cybermen. And Danny Pink is a Cyberman. And he loves Clara in spite of it all. And he saves the world. And Missy gets roasted.

Did I cover it all?

Look, I'm not going to pretend that Missy's plot made one damn bit of sense because it doesn't (to use her own words - "Bananas!") The Master is traditionally a crackpot lunatic anyway, so I can forgive some of the incomprehensible stuff here. But what matters in this story - as has been the case throughout Series 8 - is the character stories. How the Doctor, Clara, and even Danny feel about what's happening.

It all looped back around to "Am I a good man?" And the answer is no. The Doctor is not a good man. He's an idiot. Because he's trying to fix things in a universe of chaos. A universe that defaults to insanity and hopelessness and negativity (which, I just described internet fandom. Oh Moffat, you sly old troll, you). The Doctor does what the rest of us do - tries to do good where he can and hope that it makes a positive impact on the people he's trying to help. Sometimes he does, most of it time it blows up in his face. And those are the times that the Master gives him his own ready-made army while the Doctor, bless his heart, stares in disbelief and horror thinking -

h/t Hyperbole and a Half

At the same time, the Doctor also inspires other people to do good things. And they, in turn, inspire him (I think of that sweet shout-out to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart when Cyber!Brig saved Kate at the end. That was awesome in a creepy sort of way. Eh, it's Doctor Who - they can get away with such things).

Clara and Danny. FOREVER HEARTBREAK. Damn, why does Danny have to have an honorable streak a mile long (to irritate fans, I think - especially some of the female fans. Which, I just don't get, but I come from a radical school of thought that tends to actually think well of men generally and not want to rip a man's head off for holding a door open for me. Crazy, right?) I can't fault Danny for his actions. In fact, I have to applaud them. But... Clara and Danny were going to be happy and together and have cute little "Ozzie and the Squaddie" babies! ...sigh... I hate my life choices sometimes.

But no, Cyber!Danny takes the army he's given by the Doctor and he saves the world. Because it's the right thing to do. And in the end Cyber!Danny, has to go off with the rest of the Cyber!Humans (I'm not calling them proper Cybermen because it's just wrong in this case - converting the dead... what kind of sicko... oh, right. The Master...) But he does use the trans-mat bracelet thingy to send the boy that he killed back to Earth in the hopes that Clara can get him back home to his family (if indeed his family is still somewhere in the war-torn Middle East).

Other Things I Liked/Noticed -

- Chaplet Funeral Home. As in, Dodo Chaplet. I don't know if that was deliberate or not, but I'm going to say that it was.

- This whole episode was an updated version of a Third Doctor story - the Doctor, the Master, UNIT... yup, it's all here!

- The portrait of the Brigadier in UNIT Force One (did the plane have a name? Too bad, I just gave it one).

- The only planet that can say the Doctor is on the payroll (his paychecks probably keep getting lost in the mail, though).

- WHY DID MISSY HAVE TO KILL OSGOOD??? (the Doctor was totally going to take her with him! And she was excited about it!! MISSY, YOU BITCH!)

Bottom Line - The Doctor, for all his good intentions (even giving Danny the trans-mat thing so her can get back to Clara), sometimes screws up. Sometimes Gallifrey isn't where Missy said it was going to be. Sometimes you have to put on a good face so your companion doesn't freak out or worry about you (but, apparently, you're not allowed to worry about the people you care about because that demeans them as human beings - right, fandom?) And this is where we leave the Doctor - lying to Clara about finding Gallifrey. Conversely, this is where we leave Clara, lying to the Doctor about Danny being back and everyone being happy and lovely. This is what flawed characters look like. Especially flawed character who are trying to mask their imperfections - just like we all do. We all go around saying things are okay when they really aren't. Even this week - I had some things happen to me that left me screaming and wishing I could break something (I didn't have a TARDIS console handy to beat my frustrations out on - I had to make do with a pile of papers on my desk). But I didn't want to bring anyone else into my misery and woe - they've got their own lives and problems and I don't need to add to their burdens. Yet... it might have made things better if I opened up and talked about it. Like I kept wanting both Clara and the Doctor to do - to tell each other what really happened and try to help each other through it.

That was a downer ending. Damn.

Except...



CHRISTMAS! And Santa Claus!

(Wait - I thought the Doctor was Santa Claus... oh well...)

So - here's my prediction. Going by the mid/post-credit thing with Nick Frost as Santa (which, with a name like that, how could he NOT be playing Santa Claus?) - old Father Christmas is going to put things right with the Doctor and Clara. Somehow, it's going to happen. Because miracles happen at Christmas and we need something happy to close out this year.  I do, anyway.

Series 8 Reviewed -

As a whole, Series 8 was pretty damn amazing. A few missteps, but not enough to make me dislike it. It was vastly different from anything else New Who has done, which I appreciate (especially with a new Doctor and all that). The characters and stories were interesting - they certainly prompted a lot of emotion from a lot of people (whether positive or negative, which is a good thing. The worst thing that can happen to a story is that it's simply "...meh...") Peter Capaldi is one of the very best to be the Doctor and I hope he stays on for a long, long time. And keep Jenna Coleman around as long as possible - I can't see Capaldi with anyone else (Osgood would have been great - but I guess that's not going to happen. Eff you, Missy).

Secrets and Sealed Memory

Review/Recap of Sailor Moon Crystal, Act 8 - "Minako, Sailor V" - Spoilers!

Oh boy. Sailor Moon Crystal. You do NOT skimp on the feels, do you?

It’s strange - I've known the basics of the Sailor Moon story for a long time. I first read the manga (which is what Crystal is very much based on) years ago. It’s the version of Sailor Moon that, if it comes right down to choosing one version, I prefer over all the others. But maybe it’s seeing the manga brought to life with animation and voices and music - it gets to me. Right in the squishy, emotional center.

Let me start with the last episode a little bit. Sailor V has appeared and distracted Zoicite enough that he decides to book it out of there. Also, V-chan drops the “bombshell” that she is the lost moon princess the other Sailor Guardians have been searching for. So, that’s potentially why Zoicite gets spooked and takes off. The Sailor Guardians are in awe of this new revelation - the princess that they've searched for is finally here! And she certainly knows how to do this whole “Saving the World from the Dark Kingdom” business. She’s been doing it quite a bit up to this point. In fact, she was the first Sailor Guardian to be awakened! (even got her own video game franchise - which, that’s how you know you've made it!)

I’m going to talk a little bit about the live-action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (more often referred to as PGSM) in talking about Sailor V - only for comparison purposes and what I think they did right with Crystal’s take on V-chan. There will be some spoilers for that, and a little bit in general. So, fair warning there.

First off - Sailor V is actually Sailor Venus (that... wasn't actually a spoiler for anyone, was it?) And one thing that I continually did not understand from the manga or even the original anime (and somewhat in PGSM) is that Venus was purported to be the Moon Princess. Like, what does Venus have to do with anything related to the Silver Millennium or the Moon Kingdom? I mean, that just screams “I’m really the decoy! I’m not who you’re looking for!” And we might possibly be able to buy it, if the opening and closing credit sequences didn't spoil the crap out of who the Moon Princess really is (and the fact that Usagi wears her hair in odangos - I’m just sayin’).  So yeah, the identity of Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom - worst kept secret EVER (not just to spoilerphobes - it’s actually a problem IN STORY).

Yeah... no.

That’s the easy thing to discuss. This next thing deals with Sailor V directly (Minako Aino, in her civilian form) and will bring in other Sailor Moon versions, particularly PGSM. And it delves into Unpopular Opinion Territory, so let me get my riot gear out...Okay - ready. When I saw PGSM Minako - I really did not like her. Episode after episode, she. Just. Would. Not. Join. The. Team. I kept waiting for her to have her huge epiphany that she may be the leader of the Sailor Guardians, but a leader needs to actually, you know, lead. And not do this half-assed show up at the last minute and berate the others for being crappy Sailor Senshi! And a little trust toward your compatriots wouldn't go amiss either! I get it if you wanted that her be her Big Issue and what isolates her from others, but it just went on too long and I never got the feeling that this group of Senshi were ever very cohesive and I never fully felt like it was a group of girls that I could cheer for. I certainly could cheer for certain individuals, but not the whole team and Minako’s attitude toward the other girls was a big part of that turn-off. So, yeah, PGSM Venus - no bueno for me.

In some respects, it seems like Crystal Venus has a lot of those same hang-ups as in PGSM, but they are toned down so much more. Part of that has to do with how she and Artemis have been guiding the other Guardians via the Arcade command center and through the Sailor V game. Establishing that relationship from the get-go helps when Minako and Artemis are there going “Hey, we’ve been doing this for so long, please learn from our experience, and trust us.” Also, the condescension that bugged me about PGSM Minako and Artemis isn’t here at all. It’s less about “We know better than you” and more “we want to help lead the team.” And that goes a long way toward fixing my current fan relationship with Minako.

Also - that scene where Minako is determined to finish out her mission solo, but Artemis tries to dissuade her was a key thing as well. It helps that it was immediately followed up with the other girls intercepting Minako to invite her to go to dinner with them. Even if Minako blows them off and takes off on her own anyway - that was more effort in trying to help Minako feel like part of the group than ever happened in PGSM.

(I know, I know - I’m making a lot of comparisons with PGSM, but I watched that one over the summer and I kept thinking “I hope this isn't what you guys do with Crystal.” So, in this one episode, at least, I’m glad that my fears were unfounded).

Also - I find it a little bit funny (knowing that Sailor V really isn't the Princess - crescent mark on the forehead be damned) that Sailor Jupiter saved V-chan after Kunzite started blasting the rooftop and Sailor Moon fell. V-chan was concerned about Sailor Moon, but nobody seemed to notice because the Princess was in danger.

Another funny thing - the girls would call her “Sailor V” when she was in her civilian form, then correct themselves and call her “Princess.” As if that concealed her identity any better. I mean - she did give you guys a name to call her by. Why couldn't you call her “Minako”? These weren't enough to bother me too much - I’m just picking up on these things.

There wasn't a whole lot dealing with Minako personally, but that’s because the episode was still surrounding her in so much mystery. The thing about her secret mission, the hints of lost memories for the other girls and Luna, even Usagi’s dreams of a battle where she is Princess Serenity and calling out for someone named Endymion (nope, noooooo whacking huge anvil-sized clues there!) - Minako’s full-on character study is going to come later, because right now, she is deflecting attention from who the real princess is. That’s her mission in-story, it’s her mission to the audience as well. Which is kind of clever, if you think about it.

The other story - which will likely dovetail into the whole Big Reveal of who the Princess really is and where the Silver Crystal is hiding - is Usagi and Mamoru’s relationship. Where last episode they were just starting to fall in love with each other (with a lot more grace and believability than in the original anime, it must be said), the aftermath of this first battle where their identities are known to both of them - it kind of rocks them in different ways. Usagi’s confused as to why Tuxedo Mask would take off right after the battle, especially since the “Princess” appeared. Mamoru is feeling guilty that he couldn't protect Usagi. Not in the way that he thinks he has to in order to be with her. He definitely loves and admires her, but his problem is that he doesn't think he deserves her because of all the things he admires about her. Plus, he’s also been having dreams about Princess Serenity and this new person that comes in and claims to be the Princess... that throws a wrench into everything.
(Huh. That would be a storyline in and of itself with Mamoru trying to get close to Minako, thinking that she’s the Princess that he’s supposed to be finding the Silver Crystal for. None of the incarnations of Sailor Moon have ever dealt with that aspect of the story - that Mamoru loves Usagi, but they both think that Minako’s the Princess and they both think there’s supposed to be something there, but Minako is all “Oh HELL NO” about it. So in that way, it’s not a straight-up love triangle (which I abhor). Might be something for fanfic to explore).

There is a really sweet scene when Usagi randomly meets Mamoru in the park (and he’s studying up on crystals - apparently the whole thing about his priority being Usagi and not the Silver Crystal went out the window when he couldn't do anything to save her. Rats). Usagi tells Mamoru that she has his pocketwatch and he tells her that he has something of hers as well and they’ll trade next time (and it’s damn adorable when she’s all “I never gave you anything!” but the episode flashes back to the Masquerade when she lost her handkerchief). It’s like - they don’t really have to talk about their inequalities regarding their powers and abilities. And that’s totally on Usagi’s part. She has this way (with everyone) of disarming people from their anxieties. Especially as it pertains to the people she cares about - and that is no more apparent than in her feelings for Mamoru. Is she very good at communicating it? Well... not in so many words. But it’s more of her overall attitude toward him that puts him at ease around her. Even though he’s quite possibly the worst person ever when it comes to expressing what’s in his mind and heart (even though he obviously loves her quite deeply and honestly).

And then - there’s poor Luna. Who gets all kinds of flack from fandom for being so single-minded, especially when it comes to Usagi. Luna clearly has expectations of what the leader of the Sailor Guardians should be and Usagi is not it at all. But beyond that, Luna feels guilty for failing to notice that Usagi is in love with Mamoru, who just happens to also be Tuxedo Mask, who Luna isn’t sure they can trust (Luna wasn’t there when the fight with Zoicite went down - dammit. That would have explained so much...) To be fair, Luna’s got a huge job as it is - finding the Sailor Guardians and preparing them to fight the Dark Kingdom, even without expressly knowing why. Which is why I’m glad that Artemis came to talk to Luna - tell her that she’s done a good job, considering she hasn’t had all the information she needed. Turns out her (and the other girls’) memories have been suppressed so as not to put any further undue burden on any of them. But the time is coming (or maybe it’s here - the scene cuts to something else right as is sounds like Artemis is ready to give Luna her memories back) and Stuff’s About To Get Real.

Which brings me to the climax of the episode. Kunzite (who, I presume is the leader of the Shitennou - that’s what I've always been led to believe, anyway) challenges Sailor V (I mean, the Princess) in an attempt to get the Silver Crystal. Minako goes out on her own (and where this is her first episode with the Sailor Guardians, it makes sense for this to happen. But if it happens in further episodes and she keeps thinking she has to be this lone wolf character, I’m going to throw things) and faces down Kunzite. But the other four Guardians come flying in to help. Literally - they use (I think) Sailor Teleport to get to the top of Tokyo Tower where this showdown is happening. And the girls - yeah, everyone’s flying everywhere (to which I say - That’s The Best Thing Ever!) There is one little moment where Sailor V is about to tell Kunzite about his true self - which, again, lends to the idea that Crystal is going to include the Senshi/Shitennou relationships.

I’m going to cut in here with a note about the possibility of Crystal including this storyline:

Personally, I don’t care one way or the other about these four ships - Mercury/Zoicite, Mars/Jadeite, Jupiter/Nephrite, Venus/Kunzite. They are solely based on one piece of artwork from the manga that was just a chapter title page and those often have little bearing on the story beyond looking pretty. Fanfic writers have played around with these characters forever and that’s fine. However, since a lot of the people who've been unduly hating on Crystal also seem to despise the idea that Senshi/Shitennou could happen here (I don't know why there seems to be a correlation between the two and I'm really not interested in finding out why) - and I truly do not care one way or the other - I say Let’s Do This Thing! Because I am so damn tired of all the hate that Crystal has gotten for not simply being the ‘90s anime updated, for not being absolutely 100% perfect animation, for not being All Things to All People, for not coming with a cotton candy dispenser, or whatever else people want to bitch about (where 3-4 years ago the same people were anguished over having no officially licensed Sailor Moon anywhere at all) - you know what? If the haters are going to hate on something anyway, might as well do something to get them out of the clubhouse entirely. That sounds harsh and may be unreasonable to some, but if you don’t like something, don’t come in here and try to ruin the fun of the people who do like it (the number of Sailor Moon Tumblr blogs that I had to unfollow because they just couldn't say anything nice about Crystal...)

Anyway - I’m not here to carp about the Perpetually Malcontented and Those Who Ruin All Our Nice Things. The other Sailor Guardians aren't about to let their Princess take on Kunzite by herself and now we have a full Sailor team and Sailor V doesn't have to do the Lone Wolf thing anymore. Which is awesome and a huge strength to the overall Sailor Moon story - always has been. You have to love the hell out of it (well, I do).

But this episode isn't done yet! Because Tuxedo Mask shows up to catch Sailor Moon when she falls off the top of the tower. In an emotionally-charged moment where she is surprised and elated that he came to save her, she takes the initiative and kisses him. She admonishes him to get away to safety before jumping back into the fray. Well, Tux isn't about to let his girl take all the risks by herself - and he jumps in front of an attack meant for her -

Which leads us directly into the next episode. And all those "Spoilers" I've been not-avoiding because they're 20 years old and I'm too excited to talk about them? Yeah - that's what we're getting. *excited*

All your questions are about to be answered!

The Honest Goods

Review/Recap of Once Upon A Time: 4.06 "Family Business" - Spoilers!

Okay, fandom - breathe in, breathe out. We all good? All right then.

That's what "Family Business" was. A nice, cleansing breath smack dab in the middle of Season 4A. After four episodes of glorious Captain Swan happiness and then one episode of Regina pouting and Emma getting the brunt of it (*le sigh*) - it was good to have a slight shift of perspective. Still dealing with our Frozen/The Snow Queen storyline, but we get to see it from an entirely new set of eyes. And not a moment too soon.

Yes friends, after nearly a season and a half of not-much-to-do, Belle FINALLY gets her chance to shine.

(yeah, yeah - she did have that thing in "Quiet Minds," but that was overshadowed by Neal's death, so it kind of doesn't count).

When the teaser came out that Belle would be getting a flashback episode and they'd even cast someone to be her mother, I was ecstatic. I've felt that Belle's been woefully underused, despite being the Dark One's love interest. It's like the writers never knew what to do with her, even though she's one of the most popular Disney princesses (or maybe that's just me. You know in Doctor Who fandom how each fan has his/her favorite Doctor? Well, Belle was MY Disney princess. I was so mad when I couldn't be Belle for Halloween when I was in second grade. Anyway...) But I guess sitting in the library reading wouldn't make for riveting television (dammit).

So, how did Belle's first centric episode in two seasons go? Short answer: really well. Long Answer: pretty good. Though it didn't go quite the way I hoped (they're making me wait, because of course they are!)

Two Plotlines Converged In A... Sauna

The flashback story starts out during the Ogre Wars. Belle and her mother, Colette, are in the library scrambling to salvage as many books as they can before the ogres attack. Long story short - they don't. They have to hide under a table (well, I guess you have to improvise where you can), but then they're discovered. Later, Belle wakes up in her room and discovers that her mother didn't survive the attack, but her father doesn't want to tell her what happened. Belle, being the resourceful sort, finds out that there's a way for her memory to be restored and she has to go to Arendelle to meet the Rock Trolls (lately, people are going back and forth from Arendelle and the Enchanted Forest like they're going to the corner store for milk).

In Arendelle, Anna and Elsa are reunited (WHOO!) and Anna meets her heretofore unknown Aunt Ingrid (oh yay - Snow Queen Prime finally has a name! Ingrid's a lot shorter than Snow Queen Prime, anyway). Anna doesn't believe that Ingrid is really their aunt, so she goes to Grand Pabbie to find out what the deal is.

It's inevitable that Anna and Belle meet each other (at Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna - of ALL places!), so they team up and travel together. They get to the Rock Trolls without incident (mostly... maybe Kristoff should have gone with Anna). Grand Pabbie gives Belle a memory stone to boil into a tea that she can drink and regain her memories of her mother. And for Anna - well, Pabbie's got a bigger bombshell - that Ingrid is indeed Anna's mother's sister (who also gets a name - Gerda. Which was the name of the little girl in Hans Christian Andersen's original fairy tale, so I appreciated that nod. There still needs to be a Kai somewhere, though. Maybe that's Anna and Elsa's dad). Ingrid and Gerda had yet another sister - Helga. Nobody seems to know what happened to Helga, though (but I think we can guess - snow magic gone bad. I mean, even worse than what little Elsa accidentally did to little Anna). All memory and record of Ingrid and Helga was excised from the royal records (with the help of Grand Pabbie), so that's why Anna and Elsa don't know about their aunts.

Anna and Belle race back to Arendelle to tell Elsa what's going on - except dear auntie is on the case. Ingrid sends a storm to knock Anna off the cliff. Belle tries to save her, but only after trying to recover the memory stone that she dropped in the chaos. She loses the stone, and she also loses Anna. Anna falls to the ground and Ingrid takes her away. And Anna is still alive, though Belle feels guilty for not trying to save Anna before thinking of herself.

CSI: Storybrooke

When last we left Out Intrepid Heroes, Emma discovered that one of her foster mothers was Ingrid, but she doesn't remember it. So, the Storybrooke PD (all four of them) kicks into high gear and everybody splits off to go find the Snow Queen (with nobody wanting to go with David - poor guy). Belle decides to go back to the library to see what she can find out and Elsa volunteers to go with her (HOORAY! Elsa gets to be friends with another Disney Princess!!) (Look, I got really excited about this one, so shush). Much like David's encounter with Anna in the Enchanted Forest, Belle's meeting with Anna made quite the impression on her. Unlike David, however, Belle's experience wasn't a positive thing. And Belle, seemingly giving into her darker side, succumbs to temptation and decides she's going to use the Dark One's dagger to force Hubby Dearest to take her to the Snow Queen's lair.

(I'm sure nothing bad will come of this. Nope. Nothing at all).

Look, I've totally lost track of how many times Rumple has pulled the Switcheroo trick with Belle and the dagger - so I'm not even sure what's going on anymore. But Rumple is either genuinely under Belle's control... or he's a damn good liar (and this being Rumple - that could still go either way). But there is one thing that's for sure - I can't fault Rumple for his reaction to what Belle does. And I can't fault Belle either for the situation that she's in. Mostly, I just love seeing this side of Belle because it is so different from anything we've seen. Snow White has certainly had her moments of moral uncertainty and she's been coming back from that (there hasn't been much moral uncertainty from Princess Mayor Rainbow Lollipop lately. Like, in an entire season). But Belle - like I said earlier, the writers haven't really done a whole lot with her. So, to actually have a scene like the moment in front of the Snow Queen's mirror - where Belle's reflection is repeating all these terrible things that Belle (probably) thinks from time to time (look, we all have that negative mind chatter. Or maybe it's just me).

Rumple comes back to warn Belle that the Snow Queen is on her way and he poofs them back to the shop, but not before she tries to attack him, leaving a slight nick on his neck with the dagger. But once they're both back at the shop, Belle calms down and... sigh... this scene. Belle confesses that it's probably her fault that Anna's missing and she's trying to make it right, but in the process of doing so, she's betrayed and hurt Rumple. Oh Belle, honey - IF YOU ONLY KNEW! Except... she does know. Because mirror!Belle told her that the dagger was a fake. But that was couched in all those other terrible things mirror!Belle was saying, so she doesn't believe it. And Belle apologizes to Rumple for not trusting him and for keeping secrets. To which I say...

This is SO messed up! Given all the crap that Rumple has pulled?? And here's an opportunity for the ONLY person in Storybrooke that can effectively call him out on his stupidity - and Belle doesn't do it???

Okay, okay - Once Upon a Time likes to play the long game. I get that. But there had better be some sort of Final Reckoning coming for Rumple regarding this ridiculosity with this damn dagger. I want CONSEQUENCES, dammit!!

(on the scale of "How stable is this relationship?" Rumbelle is heading to the basement and beyond. And considering that Outlaw Queen is currently tangled up in a love triangle with a comatose human popsicle, that's pretty bad. I'll be interested to see how the writers pull this one off).

Henry Mills and the Thanksgiving Dinner of DOOM!

Going back around to last week's cliffhanger (and the character growth Emma shows in actually informing people of her past relationship with the Snow Queen - see what happens when people talk?), the mystery of What The Hell She's Up To is revealed. Ingrid's family did something to her because of her magic (three guesses what) and now she's trying to replicate her sisterly relationships by cherry-picking two people with magic and who most resemble her lost sisters. Elsa, I can understand. She's Ingrid's niece. But Emma - I just sat there going "How are they going to explain the resemblance between Emma and Helga?" (I repeat my impassioned plea from over the summer - If it turns out that Elsa is Snow White's mother's sister's cousin's former roommate or something equally as absurd, I will throw things. I don't care how many lampshading jokes you give to Hook to smooth this over - however funny that joke was - it's really getting old).

So - Ingrid's out to destroy Storybrooke by cursing everyone into hating each other, but keeping Emma and Elsa safe so they can be her new little sisters. It sounds nuts. But those are the best villain motivations, aren't they? A villain wants something - however ridiculous - and they are going to tear through any and all opposition to get that thing. And the Snow Queen is very much motivated to get her happy little family. And given who is standing against her... this will not end well. Angst is coming.

Other Things I Liked/Noticed -

- Everything Captain Swan related (who is surprised by this?). Doey eyes, quick little glances, both of them going through all of Emma's stuff from when she was with Ingrid in the foster system.

- Also - the slight reference to Killian's childhood (oh, please please please let this be a hint that we're going to see baby!Killian. I mean, we got baby!Emma last episode! I need Killian Jones' childhood - NEED IT, I tell you!!)

- Okay, I was pissed at Regina last week, but when she turns on the snark and sarcasm - I can't help but love her. I lost it at "Captain Guyliner" (Killian took it in stride, though).

- I mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating here - Killian making a quip about everybody in Storybrooke being related. I am glad the show acknowledged this phenomenon, but bonus points for Hook being the one to comment about it. Just - let's not get too carried away with all this "make everyone related to each other whether they want to be or not" thing.

- Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna. Just... Oaken himself. You know, Once Upon a Time makes such an effort to make all the fairy tale characters look and feel realistic - even if they are based on animated characters. But as far as Frozen is concerned, everybody looks like they walked out of the movie and into real life. I'm sure there's something in the agreement with Disney Animation about that, since Frozen is still so new, but it just works and I love it.

- Snow seeing the video of Emma as a teenager and being partially heartbroken and partially adoring about it. I sniffled, I won't lie.

So, now we know what the Snow Queen has planned (as incredibly creepy as it is - I mean... yeah... create your own family. Why not?) Everything looks like it's falling into place (more or less). What's next...



...oh. Oh dear.

...
...
...yipe.

Bet No One Saw THAT Coming!

Recap/Review of Doctor Who 8.11 "Dark Water" - Spoilers!

Fandom is a funny thing sometimes. We have the most bizarre, cracked-out theories that we "know" will probably never happen. But then with a show like Doctor Who, where the majority of people now working on it were once fans themselves - those assumptions go flying out the window. Because now, the inmates are running the asylum (I mean that in the nicest way possible) and all bets are off.

"Dark Water" has now given us the following from the fandom wish-list (again - SPOILERS!) -

- a female Time Lord that was once a male Time Lord.

- the return of the Master

- some kind of strange romantic relationship between the Doctor and the Master (which, I am personally glad to see the Doctor doesn't reciprocate because it's just kind of weird on all levels when I think about it too long).

And, I'm fairly certain that fandom will find something of this to complain about. That is wasn't done properly, they didn't like the execution, there was something just "wrong" about it - it's Doctor Who. The fans are nothing if not entitled and whiny. There's no pleasing them, even when you give them what they say they want.

Anyway - the episode. I'll be honest, I was a little bored of it until about ten minutes left in the episode. Mostly because I knew the Cybermen were coming and I just kept waiting and waiting and... nothing. Maybe if that hadn't been spoiled by, well, everybody (including the BBC), I wouldn't have been waiting for it and yelling "Where are the Cybermen??" at my computer. Which is a shame, because there were some interesting things going on that I wish I would have been able to pay more attention to. The idea of someone taking control of the dead and using them as a army to take over the earth. The whole concept of the Nethersphere and where it came from and why (Time Lord technology. Because of course it is). And, of course, Danny and Clara's relationship. Which took a HUGE turn here.

I have enjoyed this entire story arc of Clara and Danny this season. I love how the timey-wimey-ness of Clara's travels with the Doctor has meant that we've kind of hit the highlights of their relationship - the key points of what they've gone through, as it pertains to the overall Series 8 story. Basically, this is a companion losing a loved one and having that loved one fall into a Doctor's nemesis's schemes, thus making the stakes that much higher and have greater consequences.

When I saw Danny walk out into the road, I kept thinking "Dude - you're gonna get hit." And... then there was nothing on the other end of the phone. Clara kept talking. Then the old woman picked up the phone and that's when I knew (I don't know if Moffat's just been the showrunner this long and I know what he's going to do, or if I'm really that perceptive. Or maybe that's what Moffat meant to have happen - the audience realizes what's happened before Clara does and we all have that much more time with the dread of her finding out).

(PS - I'd just like to point this whole scenario out as an excellent example of Fridging. Just this time, it's the guy getting killed off so the girl has to deal with her "womanpain." And the only reason I'm making this connection is because fandom would be howling with indignant-yet-manufactured rage if it had been Clara who got killed off so Danny would have his angst. But because it's the guy that died and the girl is mourning this loss - I doubt there will be even a peep from the "Sexism is Everywhere! All Men Are Horrid Animals Threatening To Enact Harm To All Women, Girls, Babies, and Small Dogs!" crowd *insert weary eye-rolling here* There's just been some really cracked-out ideas floating around this season that Danny's a terrible boyfriend because he wants to protect his girlfriend and he offers to be there for Clara if things with the Doctor get too dangerous - even though that is not only acceptable but expected behavior from a guy toward his significant other. I unsubscribed from a couple of podcasts this week because of some really bizarre attitudes about Clara and Danny. These attitudes have been going around all season, but this week reached a boiling-over point with me and it resulted in an epic rant-to-no-one on the way home from work because I just couldn't stand that kind of bullshit anymore. Excuse me - cowshit. "Bullshit" is probably sexist).

(Yeah, I think I'll leave that paragraph in here. I've deleted too many such sentiments this season and I'm tired of censoring myself. I just don't understand the whole concept of "census box storytelling" where these characters are not seen as people, but as the census boxes they represent. How does that make for good storytelling or even enjoying good storytelling? I hated that stuff in my Literary Criticism class in college and I hate it even more now. Treat people [and characters] like people - not like ticky-boxes that you check off to make yourself feel better about the shows you like).

On some level, I understand Clara's reaction. Threatening the Doctor to make him go back in time to save Danny. And I also understand why Clara's plan wouldn't work. The Doctor is, well, the Doctor. He sees all kinds of crazy-weird crap coming a mile away. And it's likely that he already knows that Danny's dead - he just wants to see how Clara will choose to tell him. And the way she tells him is - demanding that he take her back and fix this problem. Which he was willing to do, even if the telling of it didn't go quite as well as the Doctor probably would have wanted.

So, the Doctor plugs Clara into the TARDIS telepathic circuits and they're off to find Danny in whatever version of the afterlife he ended up in.

Fishtanks in a Mausoleum. Welcome to Doctor Who, Everyone.

I don't really know what else to say about this part of this episode. Missy's crazy, but I expect that from the Master (the longer this whole Missy thing went on, the more I thought that particular theory held more weight). Poor Danny can't get a straight answer from anybody. And neither can the Doctor. In fact...

"Can You Just Hurry Up Please Or I Will Hit You With My Shoe."



There was a lot of talking in this episode. For the most part, it was all right. We got the Danny-as-a-Soldier story - that he accidentally killed a young boy in the midst of a battle. We got a lot of good stuff between Clara and the Doctor. But damn if the 3W people weren't the most annoying and cagey and draw-everything-out people in the whole episode! I was so glad when the Doctor finally threatened that one goofy kid that wouldn't finish his stupid sentence because I was feeling the same way at that point. And then these mystical, magical three words were... "Don't cremate me."

Um... anti-climactic much? (is cremation really that commonplace? I honestly do not know).

Okay, so the dead people are communicating with the living, but the living don't hear them. And the dead can feel what's happening to their bodies on Earth. That's creepy.

Then again, once they divulged one secret - the plot actually started moving! Like, the Cybermen finally showed up! Clara and Danny started talking - even though that was Heartbreak and a Half (good grief, girl! What the crap do you think brought you here? Danny has to be somewhere in this place! Ugh - she took that admonition to be skeptical a little too far). Missy was revealed as the Master/Mistress (and bookies in Vegas collected bank, I'm sure). And I still can't find a "Next Time" trailer for "Death in Heaven."

Well - cliffhangers and spoilers, I guess.

It's hard to talk about this episode with it only being the first half of a story. It was kind of slow, but then again, it's been a while since we've had a proper two-part episode, so I'm a little rusty on all this. I'm sure once I can watch it all together it'll make more sense and I'll have a better grasp of what's going on. Until then -

Felt appropriate