inej being sooo cool girl nonchalant with “i’ll return to ketterdam. and to you” like he’s an afterthought and kaz immediately folding with “wait for you by the window always” ugh they make me feral
have we ever considered the concept of “i can read to him” being marya’s last words before jan decided to send her to st hilde then years later those same words being the last thing he hears before going to hellgate
“Were you trained as a dancer?”
“An acrobat. My whole family are acrobats.”
//
“Some people see a magic trick and say, ‘Impossible!’ They clap their hands, turn over their money, and forget about it ten minutes later. [..] And then there are the ones who stay awake, running through the trick again and again, looking for that skip in perception, the crack in the illusion that will explain how their eyes got duped; they’re the kind who won’t rest until they’ve mastered that little bit of mystery for themselves. I’m that kind.”
The Significance of Transport in Psych (The Pilot Episode)
(hi! doing a LONG and i mean LONG post here discussing mostly Shawn's motorcycle vs driving the blueberry and what that means for the characters. hopefully some of it makes sense and im not stating the obvious hgshds)
In the beginning of the pilot episode of Psych, Shawn arrives on his motorcycle to SBPD in order to collect the check for the crime he solved. At this point, it serves to show that Shawn Spencer is The Cool Guy (тм) with his Cool Leather Jacket and his Cool Motorcycle, he's charismatic and has no trouble with women. Notably, James Roday Rodriguez didn’t want to ride the motorbike, although for the show he was offered lessons (as stated on The Psychologist Are In podcast in their first episode with JRR), so because of that fact alone The Cool Guy image, that the writers initially had in mind, transforms ( later in the series they even make a reference to it – Shawn saying “Have you ever seen me actually ride it?”).
The second vehicle we see in the show is the famous Blueberry – just a nameless company car for now, but it already reveals more about the characters. Gus drives a company car, has a job, wears a full-on suit, and he’s presented as a contrast to Shawn, who drives a motorcycle, can’t or won’t hold down a job and doesn’t need to dress formally. And yet, they are friends, Shawn is perfectly comfortable in the passenger seat of Gus’ car, that’s his place, next to Gus.
And then, when the case they're investigating becomes too much, Gus drives away and leaves his best friend stranded to investigate alone. Because Gus is done with Shawn’s antics and he’s his own person and can do whatever he wants.
A scene later, Shawn breaking into Gus' house and convincing him to help him again, the bond between Shawn and Gus re-establishes, when Shawn says “Let’s go, I’m driving, where are your keys? Nevermind, I got them!”.
Gus driving away in his car and leaving Shawn proved that he has autonomy, now that scene shows how close Gus allowed Shawn to get to him, how much Shawn is ingrained into his life and how much he trusts Shawn. Indeed, in the next scene, Shawn is behind the wheel. It also demonstrates that they are equals – both of them can be in the driver’s seat despite the fact that the car belongs to Gus, Gus trusts Shawn enough with the car despite Shawn being portrayed as very much not the most responsible person, especially compared to Gus.
Third transport Shawn is seen in is the police car, Lassiter is behind the wheel, Lucinda Barry and he are driving both Shawn and Gus to the crime scene. Shawn is backseating Lassiter and telling him where to drive, Gus supplies the correct details, and this is pretty much the dynamic of the show in a nutshell. Lassiter is seemingly in charge, but he has to rely on Shawn to direct him, and Shawn has to rely on Gus to keep him on track.
Lassiter also provides the means to support Shawn’s antics – the car, same as Gus, but he’s also the one who’s able to execute Shawn’s plans, he has the power, the authority that comes with being the head detective that Shawn doesn’t have. And Shawn doesn’t need to have it because Lassiter has it, and Shawn has Lassiter. Much like at this point Shawn doesn’t need a car – Gus has a car, and Shawn has Gus.
Later in the episode,Shawn drives to Henry on the motorcycle. Instead of inviting Shawn in, Henry says : "I was on my way out to lunch. You can come with me, if you don't bring this thing [the motorcycle]”. The motorcycle is Shawn’s means of being independent and showing that independence, the way Shawn lives his life is tied to it. Henry disregards that, he judges Shawn’s way of living, while Shawn is with his father he has to play by his father’s rules, thus, leaving the bike. Henry sees the fact that Shawn drives the motorcycle as a sign of his immaturity, in his eyes, a person who drives a motorcycle is not a reliable person, and that defies everything Henry thought his son should be. So, the fourth venicle Shawn gets into on screen is Henry’s truck.
The “company car” is mentioned once again when Shawn tells Gus he needs to tail someone and he can’t use his motorcycle, since it’s not very “stealth-like”. This could be an example of how Shawn’s life is changing. In this instance the motorcycle becomes impractical, unusable for Shawn’s purposes, for his new job as a "psychic" consultant. That scene results in Shawn on the passenger seat, yet directing Gus where to turn. When Shawn and Gus sit in the car, Shawn uses his binoculars and says to Gus that they need to stop on their way back and buy new ones. Guster replies “Why don’t you just take your big loud motorcycle?”. And one hand, it’s Gus bantering with Shawn, making a callback to their earlier conversation, but it also serves to show that Shawn needs Gus. For the job, for the car, but most importantly, because Gus is his best friend. So by asking Gus for the car he includes him in his life, which is especially important because Shawn has been gone for so long. Gus’ feelings towards the motorcycle, similar to Henry, might also be negative. He may not judge Shawn and critique him as much as Henry does, but in my opinion, Gus might very well despise the motorcycle because it’s what allowed Shawn to get away, what allowed Shawn to leave him. And as long as Shawn has his motorcycle, who’s to guarantee he won’t leave again? And so he's taunting Shawn, reminding him that they need each other (subconsciously, at least, in my interpretation).
From this perspective, a scene later, Shawn trying to steal the bag from Katarina McCallum, becomes more than just comedic. Shawn gets out of the car to get the bag, then with it runs back to the Blueberry – but there’s no-one in the driver’s seat, Gus and he collide. This exchange happens:
Shawn: You were supposed to stay in the car!
Gus: You didn’t tell me!
So, to break it down: Shawn runs off somewhere without telling Gus, which is a very in-character thing of him to do. Now, keeping in mind the fact that Shawn left Santa Barbara for several years, Gus’ reaction is very interesting. He is shown as the most responsible, sensible person of the duo, and yet he leaves the car, blindly following Shawn to help him. Gus has been abandoned before and he’s not getting left behind this time. Unfortunately for them, it ends badly: Katarina catches up to them while they’re stumbling and the smooth escape becomes impossible.
To summarize: firstly, Shawn needs to work on his communication skills, secondly, Shawn’s and Gus’ dynamic works better when on of them – primarily Gus – stays on the ground. In this instance, Shawn doesn’t need someone who follows him, he needs someone he can come back to. And he will come back, but Gus has to wait and let Shawn do it on his own.
And building from that context, in the next scene Shawn stays in the car while Gus goes to retrieve the bag. He shows Gus that he’s here, he’s back.
Until he leaves the car. Without telling Gus. Because Gus was a decoy. And yet, it works – the scene ends with Shawn jumping in the car head first while Gus is hurriedly driving away and making their escape, because ultimately, Gus always has Shawn’s back.
Almost at the end of the episode, Lassiter tries to force Shawn in the police car. That scene is also very telling for both of their characters – Lassiter trying to control Shawn, to make him play by the rules, because that’s how Lassiter lives. But Shawn stays unchanged, Lassiter’s attempts practically don’t affect him. Shawn stays a “free spirit”, he doesn’t let people contain him. The struggle between Lassiter and Shawn is, no doubt, extremely physical, but it also shows their dynamic on several other layers.
The scene ends with both Shawn and Gus leaning against the police car. The door through which Lassiter attempted to shove Shawn stays open.
Now, the pilot episode started with Shawn riding the motorcycle. It ended with Shawn and Gus, together, in the Blueberry, Shawn behind the wheel.
---
also, some statistics:
the blueberry is seen on 5 separate occasions, Gus and Shawn always together in it
the motorcycle – 2 times
the police car – 2 times, Lassie&Lucinda&Shawn&Gus and Lasiter trying to shove Shawn in the car
Henry's truck – 2 times, we don't see Shawn drive with him, in the end of the episode Henry also drives alone (with the newspaper that has an article about Shawn)
which again, proves how important Shawn&Gus is :")
the concept and idea of “you can always start trying to be a better person” is extremely important to me both in media and irl and i continue to be deeply deeply disturbed by the trend on this site pushing that these ideas in media are bad writing or even morally reprehensible
because theyd rather someone stay terrible or just straight up die than become a better person
from a compassionate point of view it’s deeply distressing
and from a pragmatic point of view it’s outright frustrating
I think part of the pushback about this is the idea that, to “redeem” bad people, their victims must first forgive them for unforgivable acts.
This is false. No one is obligated to forgive you. You can learn from your mistakes and become the best, kindest person on earth, and the people you’ve hurt still won’t forgive you, and you’ll have to accept that. And that doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to grow. Because we aren’t just “pure” or “sinful”, we’re complex.
the fact ned doesnt remember peter and is still spider-man's no 1 fan, leader of his fanclub, and using his skills to develop tech to help spider-man is crazy. thats BFFS for REAL
(looking at a gay couple) which one of you drowns their guilt and grief in substances and which one is consumed by an inescapable feeling of uselessness
to me one of the most important moments of the Shawn and Gus dynamic that I genuinely cant stop thinking about is from the first Yang episode where Shawn is really going through it and so Gus just starts doing bits, because Shawn doesn't have it in him to make jokes anymore. Like he knows Shawn can't handle everything being serious and genuinely frightening, so, despite also being in this scary situation, Gus does his best to try to keep joking. Because Shawn needs it
merlin from Arthur's perspective is actually so wild. like, merlin has the context of their great destiny and is knowingly working to bring it about but Arthur... to Arthur merlin is this random boy who turned up in Camelot one day and made him look like a fool in front of everyone then saved his life and was 'rewarded' by becoming his servant. and like the next week, Arthur already trusts merlin so much and jokes around with him and literally goes on life threatening quests just because merlin had this idea or merlin drank poison for him. like, Arthur doesn't know about the destiny stuff, and he does these things only because he likes this slightly odd guy who is terrible at his job and roasts Arthur 24/7. it just brings home the fact that merlin is Arthur's first real friend, that he must have been super lonely before merlin, and just how much Arthur genuinely likes merlin.
Charles almost dropped his bouncy ball and spent a few seconds fumbling to catch it, then frowned back up at Edwin. “See what?”
“Can everyone see what I am? Monty knew to approach me, or at least Esther did; the Cat King evidently saw it written all over me; and all the boys at school could see it so clearly they killed me for it. Is it really that obvious, to everyone? Did I only not know because I can’t see myself? Did you know, the moment you saw me?”
“Oh,” Charles said, and sat heavily down on the sofa.
Edwin didn’t go on, just stared at the lamp waiting for Charles to answer.
“I’m not really sure how to answer that,” Charles said.
“Well. I suppose that is an answer.”
“No,” Charles said hastily. “I mean - I mean, you are - you are kinda swish, yaknow? Elegant. And - I mean, I did notice that, I guess, but - but all sorts of guys can be graceful, yeah? Doesn’t have to mean - I mean I guess it did, for you, but I just… I just sorta figured that was just you, I guess. Thought it was you being old, at first, maybe, and then when we met other ghosts your age I just, yeah. I decided it was just you being you and you clearly didn’t want me to look any further, so I didn’t.”
“You did know, then,” Edwin said quietly. “Or did see it, at least.” He paused. “Did you not mind?”
“No!” Charles half-yelled it, because he couldn’t let that stand for even a second. “I mean, the first thing I saw was that you were gentle with me, and that was - it’s not exactly like I was gonna complain.”
Edwin’s head tilted to the side.
Charles shrugged. “I guess I’d had enough of rough boys for a while.”
Raised eyebrows. “I am hardly easy to get along with.”
Charles grinned. “You’re funny. And clever. Which is different, from the boys I grew up with, and from my dad, and - if you wanna be funny and sharp when you’re mad, instead of hitting people, that’s fine by me, mate. I wasn’t gonna complain.”
Charles took a deep breath, put his ball in his pocket, and stood to put his hands on Edwin’s shoulders. Edwin looked up at him, from his chair at the desk, eyes soft and beautiful, but with that glittering sharpness deep down inside that never left.
“Look, mate. Are you different from other boys - maybe, yeah. But other boys killed the both of us. So I’m kinda thinking that’s not a bad thing. And maybe it’s just good that we got to stick around until now, when you can be how you are, and I can - I can love you for it. And neither of us can get killed for it this time. And if other people see that, and they have a problem with it, they’re the assholes, yeah? They’re the ones with the problem. They always were. Not us. Not you.”
He lifted a hand to Edwin’s cheek, and Edwin leaned into it.
I love how, at his core, Matthias is the most golden retriever to ever golden retriever. He's gentle, kind, deeply empathetic, surprisingly perceptive, has such a big heart and such a softboi nature. But when he needs to assure support, he does so with th utmost loyalty and strength. The rough and angry version of him in the beginning of the duology was the result of years of taught prejudice, but that's not who Matthias is.
Matthias is the boy who tamed the wild wolf. Matthias is the boy who understood Kaz's deep-seated desire for vengeance, Matthias stopped Kaz and Jesper from fighting, Matthias helped Nina when she was vomiting and craving parem, Matthias handled Alys Van Eck with the most maturity, Matthias assured his crewmates when they felt down, and Matthias tried to guide a boy to peace and light while he held a gun to his chest.
Mhm mhm. I’d add that it wasn’t even just propaganda/rampant prejudice that made him so revolting in the beginning: it was also a year of literally being treated like a beast in Hellgate. He was still very alone because of the language barrier and shit. And dehumanised. So I think he was clearly also more violent/tortured then than he was Pre-Hellgate when the learned bigotry and mission still came with some mostly measured feelings.
god there really is just something about the cliff scene that sits in my bones; an authority figure forces you to relive life and death in its worst aspects, you lash out because you are a traumatised teenager; your friends, vulnerable and traumatised in turn, stare. they stare. at you. and this is even worse than the pain she forced down your throat because isn't this what you always feared the most?
suddenly they are no longer edwin, crystal, and niko. instead they are a young boy tormented by other boys (loud, vicious, violent) to the point of his cruel death and hellish punishment, a young girl abused and stalked by someone who will wear your face in her dreams, and another young girl who likely has experienced harassment at the hands of people just. like. you. young, stupid boys lashing out out of hurt.
you wear the shape of everyone's monsters, your own included. it eats at you like acid, like some parasite eager to expose what you are at your core: never good enough, forever a source of hurt.
jesper fahey is loud and energetic and overwhelming for the same reason wylan is quiet and reserved. because they were both taught to hide essential parts of who they were, they just go about it in different ways
