hey how ya doin

aesthetic: human

[weddinggrinch]

the hacks (hbo) experience is just non stop thinking about that one phoebe waller-bridge quote about killing eve - “every moment in this show exists so that these two women can end up alone in a room together.” i think every show should have that premise i will never stop thinking about these ladies

[artofdoubt]

1.07 // 2.03 // 5.03

[limitedseries]

Hacks— “Montecito” (5.07)

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

How It Started vs. How It Ended

[macden]

[artofdoubt]

Deborah and Ava + Ava's hands

[whichcouldmeanothing]

I may not have 30 years. But I think I have another hour.

HACKS (2021—2026) 5x10 "Hacks" dir. Lucia Aniello

[humanmessofaperson]

If you need me I'll be living in the 2025 production of The Importance of Being Earnest

[listentothequiet]

that last review goddamn it so cutting so good

[fan-a-tink]

Merlin & Arthur | 5.05 "The Disir"

[mist-mob]

Paxton is literally their savior:

[listentothequiet]

the first scene is where I believe that Darren Barnet uses his dashing looks for good. he nails the dumbness (and has fun with it) but still stay characteristically swoony. the way he zooms through the hall is just. so fun

[catty-words]

the way devi engages with her heritage is an important part of the text because anything that helps make up devi's identity - or crisis of the same - enhances the bildungsroman nature of the story. it's also hugely important for the way it establishes the tension in devi and nalini's relationship.

from the very first scene, mother and daughter are at odds over the value of being indian. devi is praying to their gods, sure, but she's asking for a more classic american teen high school experience. she wants to go to parties and have boyfriends but less body hair. she eats meat with abandon.

(sidebar, but i've always found this quiet, subtle bit of storytelling fascinating -

nalini and mohan are clearly at odds, too, about how heritage should fit into devi's upbringing. mohan feels a certain amount of pride/amusement/affection over devi being all-american, yet nalini disapproves and is even disgusted that this bit of ingrained respect for animals is being violated by her family.)

devi's textbook, then, is imbued with narrative significance where this through line is concerned by the following exchange:

nalini: devi, are you still praying? our gods have other stuff to do, you know?

devi: i was about to ask for good grades.

nalini: now, grab your textbooks. we need to go.

nalini: devi, that textbook has been blessed. if it touches the ground, i have to take it back to the priest. i don't have time to go to rancho cucamonga today!

it wouldn't be apparent to first-time viewers, necessarily, but there's a frustration at the lack of responsibility here that becomes indicative of their season one dynamic, right? nalini wants devi to take praying seriously, she wants her to take the blessed textbook seriously, and she doesn't have the capacity to patiently guide devi toward valuing that seriousness. she herself is grieving and working a demanding job that supports her family and expending more time than she really has to assert the importance of their culture's rituals on devi's life has put a strain on their relationship.

of course, on devi's side of things, she feels this pressure from her mom and the pressure to be accepted by her peers as diametrically opposed forces in her life. being indian only ever alienates devi from american normality, which is why kamala straddling both worlds with what devi perceives as effortlessness gets under her skin so easily.

the show further weaves these threads together - nalini's desire for devi to have a closeness with and respect for her culture and devi's tetchiness over letting her mom down being at odds with her need to be seen as normal - using the textbook in the following dialogue.

devi: how long is kamala gonna stay with us?

nalini: as long as it takes for her to finish her studies. why?

devi: she's just so... [with embarrassment and mild disgust] indian.

devi: like, the other day, she said she was gonna open the tv instead of turn on the tv.

nalini: devi, she is family. she's bettering her life, you could actually learn a little bit from her.

the way devi handles the blessed textbook symbolizes a disconnect with their culture for nalini, and nalini's focus on how it nearly touched the ground even though it didn't symbolizes an impossible standard she'll never be able to meet for devi.

it's obviously significant, then, that at the emotional climax of the episode, devi flings the textbook out of her window.

she's been made to feel fragile by her closest friends who, let's be real, devi was taking comfort in being cooler/more normal than up until the moment she finds out about eleanor's boyfriend. stressed about the way this sets back her misguided plan to paint over her grief with a shiny coat of popularity, devi lashes out at the symbol of these conflicting pressures on her life. she's never more at a loss about her own identity than when she smashes the window with the blessed textbook and lets it hit the ground.

but you know what? that complete lack of control motivates devi to seek out an actually healthy outlet for her emotions, i.e. a talk with her therapist. devi starts rebuilding herself immediately, and that tenacity and strength of spirit is something nalini will acknowledge as a pillar of her daughter's identity when standing up to rhyah two seasons from now.

[listentothequiet]

the last paragraph here. so important!!

[marrissacooper]

I owe you a lot, Devi. I know we’ve had some ups and downs but I probably wouldn’t be going to college if it weren’t for you. Well, I actually have a lot to thank you for too.

[listentothequiet]

for the record, I personally think Devi is allowed to articulate “Paxton was a dream.” I think she is allowed to process it as that in that moment, and I think it doesn’t negate the fact that she actually could’ve seen real parts of Paxton at the same time.

Was she highly driven by her grief? Maybe. But I think the fact it translated into action that touched Paxton’s life, and the many times she has had to confront how he differs from her expectations (actually saying yes in the Pilot, actually being hurt by her two-timing, being a pain in the ass to tutor, actually liking her, and the many times he surprised her in between) means she likely had to come to terms with how Paxton was a real being, with a life of his own. I think she genuinely grieved post-breakup, which was what made her moving on possible. The minute that happened, that she removed him from his pedestal, Devi’s potential of seeing Paxton fully and genuinely was opened up. Her breakthroughs in other relationships also helped to gradually remove her off the autopilot mode of seeking only comfort first, but to connect honestly.

It also didn’t negate the real impacts Devi had on Paxton’s life. Devi was also able to strike some honesty, integrity and depth into Paxton’s choices. The moments where she allowed herself to disagree with him, was when she showed an honest picture of herself, allowing authentic communication. Seeing someone be real to him changed the course of Paxton’s trajectory too, as it challenged him to make better choices. We see his appetite for connection changing.

TLDR: what Devi said about Paxton “being a dream” doesn’t necessarily negate the validity of their relationship & connection. She is allowed to frame it like that as a teenage girl comprehending her relationships, and their relationship still had real, constructive impact in each others’ lives. No one is 100% fully conscious and separate from our biases in our operation anyways. The fact that they can articulate their biases means they are one step closer to developing connection without its interference.

[listentothequiet]

ok im at nhie season 3 finale and my verdict: i want Devi & Paxton to just have a healthy relationship, whether it’s platonic or not 😭

I rmb Darren saying in an interview when being asked if he thinks they could get back together down the line, and he was basically saying we’ll never know but also that a friendship has more longevity and y’know what, he’s right. they’re so great as friends 😭

their banter post-breakup was so cute bruh like they enjoy each others’ company but push each other to make better decisions, they’ve been through so much that they don’t put each other on a pedestal anymore but also have been such a pillar in each others’ formative experiences that they’ll always be important & have affection towards the other

does it mean they can’t be friends AND also date? absolutely not! never say never! but I could also totally see them being ride-or-die friends 15 years down the road, who share a special history but also meaning they’ve seen everything and can be brutally honest & be in each others’ lives like family.

the way their nervous systems covers different bases makes me think they could be good confidants for each other (like Paxton is chill about things that Devi isn’t, and Devi is clear about things that Paxton needs guidance on. Their blind spots complement each other.) And sometimes you wanna date your confidants, sometimes you don’t. that’s the whole dilemma about friends to lovers 😭

so yeah, I don’t mind if they stay friends or something else, I just want the core chemistry of them supporting each other healthily to BE sustained 😂 and this is coming from someone who started the series to watch the Devi & Ben storyline, only to be sucked in by the storytelling on grief. damn u kaling for making me care so much about teenage characters

[thaliasthunder]

thinkin' about nick running to charlie's house bcoz he wanted to talk about the party kiss in person AND nick pulling charlie aside from the field to tell him how much he appreciates him and if he wants to break up he'll respect that but just needed charlie to know he really likes him and wants to be w him........ shout out to communication in relationships gotta be one of my favorite genders

[homo-mikey-wheeler]

the whole point of the umbrella academy is that it is about the cycle of abuse. this is displayed both figuratively (ending the world over and over. doomed to repeat the process. it feels like the world will never stop ending and that there is no escape) and literally (viktor’s world ending actions as a direct result of how he was treated as a kid. reggie’s abuse being shown on screen and portrayed in a negative light. the siblings bitching about it. especially klaus who became an addict due, in no small part, to his fathers actions and how he tries so hard to break from it but that he can’t because he just doesn’t know any other way).

so it’s fucking infuriating how the ending of the show is “you are the reason for the cycle of abuse (apocalypses) continuing and the abuser should be forgiven (because he did his best with that he had and eventually got it “right”/it wasn’t technically his fault).”

narratively, the show tells us that the cycle of abuse will only end if we accept that our abuse is our own fault.

i have many other problems with the ending but this is my main one.

[sobadbad]

HEARTSTOPPER 1.05 | 2.08 | 3.04