Nemesis
At long last, time for season 2, episode 5. Let me warn in advance that this one has me feeling some type of way re: Janet’s consent to everything that happens. So, if that’s gonna be a problem, you might wanna skip this one. Trigger warning in advance. Also, the more I go back over these, the more I see where consent in general was sort of...not really considered. But that’s for later. For now, we’re dealing with Rovi’s creepy ass.
Okay, so, overall, I’m not a fan of the cliché bit of a woman worrying that an outfit makes her look fat, and then the guy giving a clearly condescending “not at all, honey,” because we all know women can’t handle looking fat without getting upset. That said, that’s an unflattering skirt/shirt combo but what George said was still a dick move.
He did actually get the sarcasm right on it being great news that Ella was dropping by, he just inflected wrong.
Oh, nevermind, he meant the invite to his school reunion that was on the way.
Last one was on Pluto’s second moon. It was a wild night. (Which is why there’s only one moon now.)
I do love all the world-building with things like this.
Arnie’s in charge of organizing it. And keeping everyone in order. Could have done without the fat joke of leaving Pavarotti in charge of pies, but I get her point.
Arnie is in charge of something.
So...Janet was a prankster who used to tie girls’ pigtails together. Hmm...sounds a bit secretly bi to me if we use that old trope.
And George...was apparently one of a group of bullies.
Somehow, this makes perfect sense. Bullies never remember they basically tortured you, only that it was ‘good times.’ None of this excuses what Rovi does to Janet, but it makes him wanting revenge on George understandable.
Okay, no, that was actually clever of Arnie. I take it back. Holding the reunion of a bunch of aliens at a scifi convention was a stroke of genius.
….Is it weird I want to see what sort of things were coming out of that teacher’s mouth with the all-in-one facial opening?
Doris has four gigantic boobs. I wonder if the ones on the back balance out the drag from the ones on the front, so there’s less back pain?
And she’s every man’s first choice for a slow dance. I hope she carries pepper spray. Or is quick with a knee, if you get my drift.
The fish-lady has pre-spawning tension...I’m...not sure that’s a thing that can happen?
We’ve got a show full of aliens and this is where I’m drawing the line? Okay, I guess.
It really does make perfect sense for Tyler to be at this reunion. Sure, he’s going to a lecture about rectal probes and alien abduction, but I still think there’s no way he’s fully human.
And here’s creepy little Rovi.
Why must he have such a nice accent? I’m insulted.
Honestly, apart from the skeevy way he’s looking at Janet, I’m getting an Anton Lesser in Good And Bad At Games vibe off Rovi. What with the twitchiness and the sort of subtly calling out the guy who used to bully him and waiting for an acknowledgement, while George is just like “okay, weirdo, go away I barely remember you.”
No one wants to turn around and find Mrs Raven behind them, so George does have my sympathy there, at least.
And why is she in his shop?
Wants to chloroform the triplets.
The version I’m watching cuts out some of the sound, here, but we still get the joke of them being “6...6...6” in the picture. Which was an omen.
Tyler pretty much deserved getting slapped there. He’s been creeping hardcore since day 1 of meeting her. I’m surprised she waited this long.
Apparently, the Venusian women Tyler knows are like Klingons in that you get violent to initiate mating.
Poor Tyler, trying so hard not to give everything away when Rovi’s skeevy ass shows up.
Also, again, he knows Rovi’s on the level when he uses an Ultronian insult. Where did Tyler learn Ultronian if not Ultron?
I had to look up what a walnut whip is, and now fully understand why George is weak enough to do anything for one. Those look delicious.
George...you’re an idiot. Tyler talking about people turning into boxes of apricots isn’t the sort of thing that’s driving Mrs Raven away. Mrs Raven not being interested in Tyler is what’s driving her away.
And you continue to get stupider.
He needs to make less of an effort before he gets arrested for stalking.
And Piers can’t steal Janet if Janet doesn’t want to be stolen. There’s no letting or not letting him win, here. She’s a person with autonomy, you know.
Actually, no. All things considered, you probably don’t know that.
IDK what’s different, but Piers’ hair is looking particularly good when he turns up.
And I love that tie-pattern.
“Have the next snivelling hypochondriac, please, Mrs Raven.”
He’s such an ass. I love him.
Mrs Raven is not having any of Rovi’s shit and I’m living for it.
Also, if he’s clearly got these amazing powers of persuasion, he could be doing so much better with it.
But, no, of course not. Let’s be a creepy little jerk, instead.
I still love Piers’ office. Aesthetically, there’s just something so appealing about all of the stars and the gold curtain with that skeleton. I know, the skeleton wasn’t a design choice, it was because doctor. It still looks amazing.
Also, the fact that he has celebrity pictures on his wall, with the picture of himself being the biggest one? Plus what appears to be a shrine of all his awards? Please, broadcast your insecurities a little louder.
Most people would just keep them on a shelf at home.
He’s like “who is this peasant and why is he calling me by my first name,” then flips on a dime to frantic because he might be from the general medical council.’
Superbly timed reaction.
Then he just rolls his eyes and waves that off because ‘when do they ever investigate doctors?’
That felt...pointed. I get the idea, but I feel like there’s context I lack as an American.
“My name’s Rovi Grubbeldim and I’m from Ultron.”
“Ah, I see…you’re a nutter.”
I mean, yes, but, dude, you live in a world where Ultron exists. You’ve met Thermoman.
Why does everyone keep getting skeptical about these things?
I’m with Piers, I’d be creeped the hell out if someone just melted a doorknob with their breath while I was trying to get out of the room.
Nervous Piers is my favorite Piers. I just wanna pinch his wittle nervous face because he is adorable.
“Earth deserves a new, homegrown superhero who’s intelligent, handsome, urbane, sophisticated...sound familiar?”
“Modesty forbids.”
Oh, bullshit it does.
But, really, Rovi only got one of those right. Boy is handsome af.
That stupid, sad little ego is going to be the death of him.
As @purplepadawolf said the other day, “Piers: a dumbass” is what will be written on his tombstone. And I said the cause of death would be a truly iconic display of dumbassery.
Oh, god, now he’s offering him the power of “super attraction,” which will make him “irresistible to all women and a significant minority of men.”
I’d like to point out that while Piers is very pleased about the “all women” part of that, and clearly relieved to hear it won’t work on Mrs Raven, he in no way reacts with any sort of alarm to the men part of that. I mean, he doesn’t acknowledge it at all, but he’s also not worried. And was perfectly willing in “Shock, Horror,” to have people think he was sleeping with George, just so long as he got publicity from it.
This man is a fucking bisexual disaster who doesn’t even know he’s bi, isn’t he?
Gotta give him credit for recognizing there was clearly a catch, and never actually saying yes.
And he’s obviously worried about what’s going to happen to him. As in, his own consciousness.
But look at his face when Rovi says he’s going to use “the finer aspects of your personality: huge ego and total contempt for the public.”
He’s like “that’s rude, I’m not that bad.”
I feel like the headslap there was Piers slapping Rovi instead of the other way around.
I mean, even if you don’t like Piers, you’ve got to feel bad for him living what has to be a complete existential nightmare.
He’s being literally held prisoner in his own body, but Rovi is so good at being ‘him’ that no one even notices he’s gone.
Again, I would just like to point out that he spends a lot of time trying to escape.
Which means majority of the creeping is being done by Rovi and not Piers.
Though, I’ll admit he probably didn’t struggle too hard during the kissing part.
“Greetings, ordinary mortals.”
“Outrageously pompous, even for you-”
See, for a split second there, Janet thought something might be weird until Rovi did his skin-crawling little mind control thing. Not that she would have known what the something was, but it was thisclose.
Gotta admit, though, if Hugh was staring me down like that, I’d quickly lose my train of thought, too.
“That’s it, I’m switching him to decaf.”
Look how Rovi just zipped around the room and diagnosed everyone.
You could be doing something worthwhile with your life, you skeevy little perv!
That’s how you get revenge. Not by going after an innocent by-stander whose only crime was dating someone you (rightfully) don’t like. And completely negating her ability to consent because I guess she’s just a prize and not a thinking person or anything.
I’m so torn. Flirty-smile Piers is...yeah, very nice. Rovi is ew.
George...shouldn’t you be able to recognize that Piers is possessed by an alien? You’ve got the face of calling bs, but you’re not using that x-ray vision properly.
Rovi is wearing him like a skinsuit, man! Fix it!
So, Rovi, as Piers, basically did a fancy dive into the water to rescue everyone from a flood, and then sang show tunes.
While this is, yes, exactly what Piers would do if given super powers and actual control over them, here it’s still just making me think brb screaming internally.
Because, again, it’s gotta suck to have someone be so good at being you no one knows you’re gone.
“Even Janet’s glued to the screen every time he comes on the news.”
Ew. But understandable. Handsome. I am shallow, yes.
Okay, so, here, George doesn’t even know what jealous means until he looks it up in his book. And acknowledges that yes, he is. But in Little Green Men, Janet is mad he won’t get jealous of her completely innocent interaction with a normal human man. I guess jealousy isn’t really a thing on Ultron? Don’t mind me, just trying to reason my way through another continuity error.
See, this is what happens when you don’t think of women as people instead of prizes. Tyler is “making an effort,” like an idiot. Mrs Raven explicitly labels it stalking, and he goes with the idea she can’t make up her mind on her feelings.
Her mind is made up. She’s going to cut your dick off with those scissors if you don’t scram. That’s not a mixed signal.
“If you had snapped up Piers when you had the chance, you’d be the life companion of a superhero.”
Yeah...about that, Ella.
OMG this outfit! It’s ridiculous and I love it. He looks so stupid. Plus, I remember that one interview, wish I could find it again, where Hugh was like “I was just worried everyone could see everything,” or something like that.
Calling himself Miracle Man because Super Piers is Finnish slang for cockroach droppings. Makes sense.
I understand all of those women raising their hands to volunteer as tribute lunch date, but, again, also EW. Rovi.
And look at this. He just Edward Cullened before Edward Cullen existed. Stephanie Meyer ripped off My Hero.
I mean, at least Edward didn’t send the car after Bella in order to set the whole thing up. But it was essentially the same thing.
Also, Janet’s dumb ass could have easily moved to the side.
Again. Ew, Rovi. Consent is a thing.
He did not have to do that, saying that stupid catchphrase (which I wholeheartedly love) in a sexy voice.
Freaking Rovi.
Ten bucks says that’s the first time Piers ever got full-on kiss kissed. Like, properly.
Which adds a bit of “aw, sad,” to the whole thing. On top of the Ew, Rovi.
Ella is worst mom. Congratulations on cheating on your boyfriend, darling. I’m not going to look too deeply into what might be wrong with you acting so highly out of character or even ask about it.
Janet’s living that existential nightmare on a smaller scale, having her brain controlled every time she crosses paths with Rovi and no one apart from George seems to find her behavior weird and upsetting. That has to feel like going absolutely insane. Even she knows something’s not right, but can’t put her finger on it.
At least she’s still driving her own skin, though.
“I think Piers is a vain, conceited, self-obsessed...hunk of a sex god.”
Same. (Except he’s not a sex god, but you get the idea.)
“What’s happening to me?”
(Me in 2002 during the first run through of A Day To Remember.)
If you want to get technical, though, as the series goes on, George pretty much exhibits every single one of the traits we’re told make Piers bad. With the added bonus of being a bully.
So...remind me again...Piers is the bad guy of the whole series because…?
Okay, apparently the way to fix all of this is for them to break up, George to become an alcoholic and Janet to have a pregnancy scare before they get back together.
Sorry. Ew. No. That would mean Rovi...yeah,that’s gross all the way around.
Me, watching this the first time when Janet said there’s more than just a kiss involved: Oh, god, gross. Don’t tell me she slept with Piers?!
Me, watching it now: Oh, god, gross. Don’t tell me Rovi alien roofied her and…(look, we all know the word I want to say, I’m just trying not to. Starts with R.)
Also “and for the life of me I don’t know why, but I have started to have feelings for him,” would be the standard response in-universe of anyone who started falling in love with Piers.
Which...once you crack him like an egg and get past the ego, is very easy to do. Believe it or not.
But oh, thank God, no. Nothing happened beyond the skeevy kissing. Which is bad enough. She just means feelings-wise there’s more.
“It’s just that whenever Piers walks into the room, I wanna be with him.”
Just call me out, why don’t you?
“I don’t know what it is, exactly. His charisma…”
Non-existent.
“That manly voice…”
Eh...it’s nice, but I’ve heard sexier.
“His stunning good looks…”
No argument
“Yes, okay, Janet-”
“Or his sheer, sexual-”
Was the word she was going to use “frustation?” Because that’s the only sexual thing about Piers.
“I get the picture!”
All of you reading this are George. Sorry not sorry.
“I’ll just go pack a few things.”
And there’s Ella with a packed suitcase, clearly eavesdropping. Shouldn’t she have heard him say he was stomping around on the moon?
Six years to the day since Tyler started hearing the voices in his head. Does that mean it was six years ago when the Ultron council erased his memory? Badly. (I will never let go of that theory.)
Dumb question, George. Why would he need extra hats for the voices in his head? Even Tyler knew that was dumb.
Whoa! Tyler just called him George! Because Thermoman wouldn’t run away.
Argh! And no one is even thinking about the fact that Tyler told George someone from Ultron was in the shop asking about him.
No. We’re back to fighting to win back the silly prize lady with no autonomy.
She doesn’t need fighting for. She needs saving from the...I’m sorry, I gotta say it. She needs saving from the rapist alien wearing Piers like a skin suit.
Preferably before that actually happens.
And Mrs Raven isn’t playing hard to get, even George has to admit that, now. But only because he can’t figure out that Janet needs saving and he didn’t “lose” her.
“Tyler, some people say you’re off your head...and they’re right. But you’re a good friend.”
For telling him to fight someone over Janet.
“I want a word with you, Piers.”
“Do drop the pretense, Georgie.”
Piers: screaming internally upon once again realizing he knows who Thermoman is.
And now he’s interrupting Rovi’s evil monologue by basically going “George, look, I’m being held hostage by an alien!”
He was thisclose to getting control back, too. You go, bby.
Rovi, ffs...if Matilda left you for George, nothing was stolen. Maybe she got tired of you being creepy.
I’ll grant you ear-flicking, swirly-giving younger George wasn’t much of an improvement, but that’s her choice, my guy.
So many questions. Why did you have to queue up to be assigned a personality? Was it for going to other planets? Or are Ultronians just sort of blank slates until a certain age?
Rovi’s going to destroy everyone in the world apart from Britney Spears. Ew. She was 19 when this first aired. Half a year away from 20, but still.
Rovi is so gross. Gross. Ew. Sorry George was mean to you in school, but stop being gross.
Chang Ching is a dangerous challenge. Banned on seven galaxies and can seriously damage your health.
WTF goes on up on Ultron when they play rock, paper, scissors? Which is all Chang Ching is.
Well, for one thing...you get dismembered and scattered around the galaxy if you refuse to play.
And Rovi basically brought Janet along to gloat over. Against her will. Which she’s fully aware of despite the mind-control.
*Britney from MPGIS voice* Oh my god, I hate him so much.
At least George knows she’s being mind-controlled now and is combatting that instead of “oh, she’s falling in love with someone else, wah, I lost my prize.”
Rovi does a stupid laugh as a flourish to underscore his evil. That’s about the only thing I respect about him.
Aw, Piers is trying to run away from rock, paper, scissors. I know he doesn’t know that. Still stupid cute. Also, kudos to him for trying to get out. Again. And doing a pretty good job of it.
I feel like it was probably more him looking away when George was saying the fake good bye to Janet. Just because the expression reads of more ‘ouch’ than ‘oh, get it over with,’ like you’d expect from Rovi.
Also, Janet’s beginning to see Piers for what he really is. That’s...true, technically, it’s just not usually Rovi. There’s still a deeply insecure little dude buried in there, though.
Can I just...so, the antidote to Super Attraction is only found on a giant rock which is the favorite toilet of giant space birds. Which means, George went and got the rock out of a toilet, hid it in his mouth, and then slipped it into Janet’s mouth when they kissed.
I know he said he washed it first but no amount of washing will ever make that okay.
So, anyway, Rovi just ditched Piers...and the suit disappeared with him for some reason. Sucks to be Piers right now
“Please tell me this is a dream.” Because we’ve all had that nightmare.
But...
Very respectfully.
Sweet Jesus
Okay. I’m cool
I wish the context was better, but thank you, show.
For real. I’m cool.
Wait. Okay, so Piers did a whole press conference about giving up superheroing, and sold the story. (Because of course he did. I just really love him, okay?)
He was literally standing in front of un-helmeted George after Rovi did that...interesting...escape.
George has erased his memory more than once over the course of the show. This seems like a prime time to do that, along with everyone else’s because he’s done that, too.
Did he just not bother? Or does alien possession make you immune to having your memory erased? Or did he just take out the part about his secret identity, leaving the rest so that Piers could have a fun new trauma to repress and never deal with?
Given that Rovi panicked and ran away, and that Piers despite “looking rough,” looked better than Rovi...WTF happens when you lose, if refusing the challenge gets you dismembered.
I’m hating how they deal with it all at the end, though.
Janet feels guilty for being under Piers’ control (which, again, no, it was Rovi) and keeping track of the fact they kissed 15 times. Which makes George so jealous he goes and stomps around on the moon.
Sorry, but no. I know they want to keep things light-hearted because comedy and not delve too deeply, but Janet basically just apologized and felt guilty for upsetting George by being alien roofied.
