Was thinking about this at work but as much as I love the twist at the end of No One Eggspects the Spanish Inquisition and actually enjoy the whole episode, I also think it’s kinda…misplaced?? If that makes sense? Like I think Alejandro switching out the idols was clever, I genuinely didn’t expect it, and I thought the dialogue during the confrontation and the other cast reactions were pretty solid; but the thing with Aleheather for me is that they’re perfectly matched. Having Alejandro pull one over on Heather like that just felt unsatisfying, because it wasn’t like in WT when Alejandro and Heather would both win some interactions and lose others until Heather eventually won because she leaned into her more heroic side and/or Alejandro was defeated as both a symbol of antagonism and as a climax in his characterization wherein his pride and manipulative tactics finally resulted in his own downfall— Heather spent her time bickering with Jo or trying to prove Alejandro was lying, he spent it mostly being snarky with her, and then she got booted because he just…did something kinda clever that he would’ve done to anyone else who also posed a threat. It wasn’t a constant power struggle like it was in WT, it was Heather losing because in the AS narrative specifically, Alejandro simply was smarter than her; it felt empty, especially when held up to her victory in WT— which, side note, why is Heather exactly the same personality-wise as she was in the beginning of WT instead of growing since the end of it?? It would’ve been a lot more interesting for Alejandro to see Heather leaning into her heroic side more while still being on the villain team for her past, and maybe struggle with connecting with her because of that, or start picking up those characteristics when interacting with Mal, or become angrier and more distant and villainous in a cry for attention or an attempt to feel in control still despite being more pathetic than ever. And conversely I think Heather seeing who Alejandro’s become after her win/loss (depending on the ending) and feeling guilty or angry, and maybe struggling to relate to the other villains as much while still being hated by the heroes as well, would be really cool to see; it would also maybe add some flair to her rivalry with Jo, who maybe has a similar internal struggle or even has gotten worse since ROTI. There were so many other options that would’ve upped the heroes vs villains/good vs evil motifs and elevated their characters and tied up their storylines for the final season they appeared in, maybe showing the depths of what competitive reality TV has done to them and made them crave. But instead it was just kinda nothing. I feel like the twist would’ve worked better if it was reversed so Heather got Alejandro out while he desperately tried to stay in a game that was hurting him, or if Alejandro got someone like Jo or Lightning out instead— maybe because he sees himself in them and feels guilty or scared, but justifies this to himself because they’re “threats” (even though, to him, they certainly aren’t) because he’s afraid to admit that he’s still soft somewhere deep down— which he uncovers by working with Heather or working against Mal or etc. Idk something like that, maybe I’m talking out of my ass here because I haven’t seen WT or AS in a while but I feel like, while the twist itself was good, having Alejandro get Heather out specifically (especially considering how poorly the writers portrayed Heather that season within the context of her arc in WT) felt cheap and almost cynical.
titsay
gracieabrams
yousharknotpass
2087
